Wildflowers
by TheBaeTide
Summary: Rick comes from a respectable family, but he can't help falling for a woman, who not only has completely different values but a questionable relationship with her best friend. AU. No Walkers. Conservative Rick. Alternative Michonne.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Oh well don't you look handsome! That suit looks perfect on you"

"Thanks mom"

"Let me just fix this tie of yours"

Rick lifted his head slightly for his mother to help him. He was trying hard not to fidget, but it was impossible not to. He didn't want to go to this wedding. It was a friend of the family so he had to, but he knew his parents used it as an opportunity to find their future daughter in law. He dreaded it.

"Now come on, we got to get out of here, we're gonna be late"

He sighed as he followed after her. He loved his parents dearly, but ever since he had graduated from the police academy, they were hell bent on finding him the perfect mate. One that came from another, respected, wholesome Christian family. With his father being Mayor of the town, he was expected to live a picture perfect life, as his parents had.

He didn't mind that much as he was a young man of great integrity and morals. He didn't feel the urge to do anything outrageous, even as a teenager. He did however, hate being forced to do something that should be his sole choice to make.

Throughout the church ceremony he gazed around aimlessly. He met eyes with Shane a few times and the two of them would raise their eyebrows at each other to show their displeasure.

Shane was his best friend from childhood, and the only person Rick could really be himself with. He was the one person who understood his grievances as his father was also in politics, so the two of them would often have to endure social events together.

Once the ceremony was over, everyone headed over to a large stately home just on the outskirts of town for the reception. Rick was glad to be there as he could escape his parents and their friends for a moment to just relax and drink with his friend.

"I can't even get drunk off this shit" Shane complained after draining the tiny champagne glass. "Hey listen, how about we ditch this place, go to the bar"

Rick stared at his friend.

"We came, we showed our faces, now we can go"

Rick sighed and looked around at the other people in the yard and on the patio. He looked back at Shane and gave him a nod. The two men agreed to meet at his car in ten minutes.

"Hey mom I'm gonna go" Rick told her as she finished talking to another couple.

His mother's face fell, "Oh why son? We haven't even been here for an hour!"

"I know but I'm tired mom, plus I still have a lot of work to go over" He lied.

She pouted slightly, "Alright fine, but can you at least meet Lori? The Olsen's daughter? She's here"

Rick inwardly groaned but nodded.

His mother grinned as she dragged him over to the other family. Rick smiled as best he could at them. Lori was a pretty lady, he had met her when they were younger, and he could see why his parents adored her. She was their idea of the perfect woman for him. She was simple, sweet, if she was a flower she'd be a daisy, but Rick couldn't decide if he was attracted to her or not.

"So how are you Rick?" Lori asked, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"I'm fine, thanks, and you?"

"I'm good… it was a great ceremony right? Really lovely"

"Yeah, yeah it was"

"So you're officially a deputy now? Congratulations"

"Thanks, I appreciate it"

"So you must be really busy with work now?"

He shifted, "Yeah sometimes"

"Oh okay…" She looked around at the crowd around then.

"So what have you been up to?"

"Oh I'm working at the preschool.. teacher's aid"

"Oh that's great" He nodded.

"Yeah, I love kids so… felt right"

"That's nice. Real sweet", Rick looked behind Lori for a moment and saw Shane pointing his head toward the doors. "Uh Lori, I gotta' go but it was nice catching up with you, hope to see you soon"

"Oh okay, do you... do you want my number or something?"

Rick paused before spitting out, "Sure".

He handed her his phone and waited for her to add herself to his contacts. Once she did, he bid her farewell and snuck past his mother to leave. He was glad his father was in too deep a conversation to notice him entirely. He and Shane left and headed back into town.

"God" Rick sighed as he loosened his tie.

"Saw you talking to Lori?" Shane did the same with his own tie.

"Yeah, mom's pushing her on me again"

"She's nice, pretty, but the girls boring"

"I think that's what it is" Rick realised, "She put her number in my phone"

"Nice. Now you can have nothing to talk about on the phone too"

Rick didn't want to laugh but he did. He knew it was probably true. "I need a real drink"

"You and me both"

The two men reached the bar when the sun had just set. It wasn't usually that busy in the bar, but it was the most popular one in town, and would have more people around on a Saturday night. They walked in and quickly took two vacant bar stools.

Shane looked over the other people in the bar, stalling for a moment, then looking back at him with a grin, "Guess who's here?"

Rick looked at him, then looked behind him, scanning the busy tables to see who he was talking about, then he saw her. The party girl he had seen around town most weekends since she moved here with her best friend. The two of them were always running around town, laughing with each other, when they were out at night. He would rarely see her in the week or in the day time, but as soon as the sun set on a Friday or Saturday night, it was hard to miss them.

He could hardly take his eyes off her. He would stare shamelessly when he got the chance, admiring her from afar. He'd never said a word to her and he'd wish he did. He knew her name was different, not something he had heard before, but he'd never heard it clear enough to know it.

She and her friends were leaning in to each other as they spoke, both very animated. He was wondering what they were talking about to get them so excited, when her eyes found his. He panicked and looked away quickly.

"The blonde ones called Andrea" Shane admitted with a knowing smile, "Daryl told me, and the other one is Michonne"

That was her name. Michonne. It was beautiful, unique, feminine, exotic, like her. He had never been more grateful for his friend's gossip. He repeated it slowly as he familiarised himself with it, "Michonne?"

"Yep" Shane chuckled, "Hey Martinez! Scotch please"

Martinez nodded at the men and made their drinks. Rick was tempted to look behind him again but he didn't want to risk it. She'd caught him so he wasn't going to be a creep tonight. He'd keep his eyes forward.

Martinez put the two tumblers down in front of the men, "Anything else?"

"Two more of those please"

The voice forced Rick and Shane to look behind them, and there she stood, right in front of him. She was even more beautiful up close.

"Least you could do after all that staring" She gave him a cheeky smile as she leaned between the two men and took their drinks, the scent of her perfume danced around his nostrils, "When you're ready, come and join us boys"

She turned, and walked back to their table, her hips swaying in her tight dress.

"Jeez man" Shane chuckled in disbelief, "She came over here and stole our drinks and I ain't even mad"

"Should we?" Rick bit his lip as he thought about it.

"Of course!" As soon as Martinez put the new drinks down and Rick paid for the four drinks, the two men made their way over to the women.

"Ladies" Shane greeted.

"Come, sit" Andrea demanded, slapping her hand on the space beside her in the booth.

Rick was sure he heard Shane gasp as he did as he was told. He sat on the other side beside Michonne, who turned towards him as she crossed her legs beneath the table.

"So, you're the mayor's son right?" She asked, her eyes slightly hooded from the alcohol she'd been consuming.

"I am, Rick Grimes, nice to meet you" He hoped he sounded normal as he held out his hand.

"Michonne Turner" She took his hand and he was surprised that it was firmer than he'd imagined, but still warm.

"So uh... sorry about staring, I didn't mean-"

"Yes you did. Don't lie to me"

He tried to hide his shock at her bluntness, "I… I mean, yeah okay I'm not sorry for staring-"

"Good" She pursed her lips as she flicked her dreads over her shoulder, "So, you're all dressed up, where were you?"

"Wedding. Friend's wedding"

She nodded as she rolled her eyes, "God I hate those"

"You ain't the only one. That's why we left"

"I think the whole thing is just… I mean don't get me wrong, if people want to get married then, that's great and they should do it. But otherwise, I don't see the point"

He frowned, mistaking what she meant, "You don't see the point of marriage?"

"No I don't. Waste of time in my eyes"

He was staring at her, "Well, you don't really hold back do you?"

She shrugged, "Just my opinion"

He nodded, unsure of why her admission saddened him to hear, "Well then hopefully you can stay unmarried"

"Let me guess, you expect to be married to a step ford wife with 2 kids, probably one of each?"

He sighed and shook his head, "I don't really expect anything, but I don't think there's anything wrong with hoping"

Her eyes locked with his as they studied each other, "You're the poster boy for this town aren't you?..."

His brow furrowed as he wondered if she meant that as a compliment.

"...The golden boy…" Her eyes dropped to her hand on the table then crept back up to him as she smirked, "You wouldn't know what to do with me"

Rick didn't know where the confidence came from, but it came and it was there, "You sure about that?"

"You wanna prove me wrong?"

He raised his eyebrows as if he was rising to the challenge, but alarm bells were going off in his head.

"Fine. Take me to your place"

His heart pounded in his chest as he watched her, but he drained his cup and gave her a nod.

"Here" She slid a pair of keys across the table to Shane, who seemed to be enjoying his conversation with Andrea. "Take her straight home. Scratch my car and I'll kick your ass"

Shane looked at the two of them as they exited the booth, shocked with a questioning look on his face but nodded, "Uh, alright then I will"

Rick felt like he was ready to throw up from nervousness as they got in his car. He reprimanded himself for rising to her challenge. He had so many thoughts raving through his mind that he could barely talk. He was glad he cleaned his apartment before he left, so that was one worry out the way.

He wondered if it was too presumptuous to assume she was expecting sex; he wasn't a ladies man by any stretch of his imagination, he'd had two relationships in his adult life and both his exes were nothing like Michonne. She was confident, blunt and he knew she probably had a mouth on her. And here she was in his car, ready for him to take her back to his place.

"So...what do you do?" He finally spoke.

"Artist… illustrator" She kept her eyes ahead of her.

He nodded, "You don't do much of that around here right? I mean I hardly ever see you- I mean in the week.. not that I'm looking for you, I mean, god... "

He was surprised to hear her chuckle, "No, Rick, I don't do much of it around here, I work from home or go in to city to sell my work"

He bit his lip as he nodded, then was quiet for moment before he finally said, "I'm not a creep okay?"

She chuckled again and shook her head, "You are, but its fine. You having at least one flaw makes seem a little bit more human"

He wondered what she meant that, and he really didn't want to, as his mind was already panicking about what was happening. After parking at the front of the building, he led her up the one flight of stairs to his unit. He couldn't bring himself to look at her yet, he was trying to remain cool and calm after all.

He opened his front door and allowed her to walk in first, switching on the lights in the hallway as he followed behind her after closing the door.

She was walking slowly, with her arms across her chest as she took in his home, "Very nice"

"Thanks… you want a drink or something?" He asked as he removed his suit jacket.

"I'm good for now, thanks" She stepped out of her heels as she was looking at books he had on the coffee table.

"Alright" He kicked off his shoes and stood leaning against the bar in the kitchen as he watched her.

She finally turned back to him and slowly stepped towards him, "Well? Bedroom?"

He stared at her for a second before motioning with his hand for her to go down the other hall. She did, and stopped when they reached the two doors. He pointed to the one that was slightly ajar and she went ahead.

His heart was racing when he stepped into the room. She was looking around again slowly, but this time she reached up behind her to grab the zipper of her dress. She tugged it down while she looked at pictures on his dresser.

He was frozen in place as he watched her peel the dress off, standing there, her pert round breasts hanging freely, both nipples pierced, and a tiny black thong that hid virtually nothing. She looked at him and her head tilted to the side.

"You know…" She stepped out her dress and made her way to the bed, sitting on the edge when she reached it, "If you're having second thoughts…"

"I'm not" He rasped as he slowly made his way over to her. It was true, he wasn't, he was now hypnotised by her beautiful body.

"Good" As soon as he was close enough she made for his belt, yanking it free as he pulled off his shirt. Once she opened his pants, she sat back and crawled further on to the bed, the sight of her almost bare behind bent over burnt in his memory.

He made quick work of removing his pants and boxers and made his way towards her. She pulled off her thong and lay on her back as he leaned over her.

"You ready to prove me wrong?" a ghost of a smile lingered on her lips as their eyes locked in place.

Rick leaned down and kissed her, gently at first, warming himself up. He had been told he was a good kisser so he was going to lead with that. He parted her lips with his tongue and he was sure he heard her moan. Well he hoped he did anyway.

He shifted his weight to one side so he could use his free hand to explore her. His first trip was to her breast, and he had never ever seen a woman with pierced nipples before so he was unsure of how to handle them, so he played with her breast first, massaging her mound with an open hand, then finally zeroing in on them.

He slowly traced over it, rubbing the tip with his index finger. He heard her moan, he was certain of it this time. He kept at for a while longer, before he moved down between her legs.

She was hairless and her centre was slick from her own wetness. He was surprised, he wanted to pat himself on the back for being the cause of her excitement.

He parted her folds and began running his fingers up and down, from her clit to her entrance. She moaned again, her hips tilted against his hand. Another small victory.

Then something hit him. He wasn't sure if he had condoms. It had been a while since he last had sex, and while he was wondering if he would even last long, now he was fretting about if it would even happen.

He slowly broke the kiss to speak, "Uh, have you got…?"

Her eyes fluttered open as she focused on him, "What?"

"I don't think I have any…I don't do stuff like this often"

She smirked, "Thought I was the one that was meant to say that"

She reached up and caught his lips again, before whispering against his mouth, "I'm on birth control"

He gave her a nod and shifted between her legs, so he could align himself at her entrance. When he felt her heat on his tip, the rest of his length throbbed, so he inched himself inside her and his body tingled from head to toe. He nearly lost it when she gasped in his ear.

He began rocking into her, keeping the pace slow so he could build up. He felt her nails on his back, her hips around his waist, he was hoping she was enjoying it as much as she seemed. He wanted to prove her wrong because he knew she wanted to be. She wanted him to give her something amazing and he had to do it. He had to give her whatever she wanted.

He leaned above her again, resting on his hands as he began sinking into her, his eyes scanning over her body. One of her hands held on to his bicep while the other snaked its way down to her folds and she began rubbing on herself. Rick's movements faltered as he took in the sight. He wanted to keep watching but he knew he'd be selfish to do that, he'd come before he could even blink.

"Come on Rick, you're holding back on me"

Her voice was too sensual for him. He picked up the pace, plunging in and out of her harder, causing her to continuously moan. He altered his weight to one arm and took over from rubbing on her clit, he had to make sure she was ahead of him.

"God Rick!" She called out as she began playing with her breast. Rick cursed her in her mind. She was doing too much. "Talk to me"

He cursed her in his mind again. He never talked dirty before, in fact he never talked much in sex unless he was giving out instructions, and now she wanted him to talk, while she teased her nipples and bit her lip. She was asking for a lot from him.

"You like that?" He tried, his voice sounding more normal than he thought it would.

"Yes" She breathed.

"You want me to fuck you harder?" He felt like he was having an out of body experience. He couldn't even recognise himself.

"Yes!"

"Say it"

"Please Rick fuck me harder" His balls jumped at her request. He leaned back down on his forearms and latched his mouth on to her neck, as he began pumping in and out of her. Her moans turned to cries. He tried to do his best to tune her out and just focus on pounding her. He was glad he'd made it this far but he knew he was pushing it.

He felt her grip on his shaft begin to tighten and he knew he had to make this last stretch count. He thrust in and out of her like a jackhammer. Her nails scraped down his back as she cried. Her back arched and her walls contracted around him as she called out his name. He finally lost it.

"Fuck!" He called out as his load shot deep within her, his length jumping for joy as it did. He was spent and felt amazing for it.

He knew he should have probably moved off her but he couldn't move just yet, and she was playing with the curls at the back of his neck so she didn't seem to mind.

"That was good for the first round"

He sat up and looked at her, wondering if he heard right, "Yeah?"

She smiled, "Yeah. Rest for now. It's my turn next"

He felt the blood that was slowly traveling back around his body, turn and head back down to his member. "Uh, okay"

She chuckled, "You are adorable"

"Why's that?"

Her eyes darted all over his face before she answered, "You just are"

His brow furrowed, "I'm a twenty six year old man, I don't think-"

"You're twenty six!" She recoiled in horror.

He pulled back in surprise, "W-what-"

A devilish grin appeared on her face and he sighed and shook his head, "Gotcha! You thought you was about to get in trouble there, didn't you?"

He groaned, "That wasn't funny"

She giggled, "I'm twenty five so relax. When's your birthday?"

"First of September" He breathed as his heart rate returned to normal.

She brushed his hair back from his face with her fingers, "Nice, you're a Virgo right?"

He nodded his head slowly, he didn't even know himself, "I am"

"Kiss me"

He did as he was told and leaned in to kiss her, even slower than last time, taking her bottom lip into his mouth before covering her mouth with his. His length hardened with in her again when she moaned. He snaked his hand beneath her back and rolled over so she was on top of him.

He grew excited when he saw her grin. He had a newly found confidence. He held her hips, and planted his feet flat on the bed, knees bent. He gently lifted her off his length until only his tip remained.

"I thought it was my turn?" She queried as she rested on her hands on either side of his head.

"It is, I'm just helping" He grinned as he pushed up into her.

Her mouth dropped open and her eyes snapped closed. He began to fuck her with a steady pace. He was proud of himself, he had her moaning already. He never knew he'd feel so accomplished from sex. While he enjoyed sex before, something about sex with her was different, it was more intimate and exciting. He'd always been a caring lover, but he wanted to please her more than he'd ever please anyone else.

He was doing a little celebratory dance in his head when it all changed. She began meeting him thrust for thrust. She swirled her hips as she swallowed him and then sensation was breath-taking.

"I'm just getting started"

She must have seen his face register the shift of control as she grinned at him. He didn't know what that meant until he felt it. She gripped him within her, then released. Then she did it again. Clutching on to him as she swivelled her hips and bounced on him.

He involuntarily gripped her thighs tighter. He didn't even know that what she was doing was possible. He didn't know he could feel so many sensations at once.

"Talk to me"

He cursed her in his head for the third time that night. He could barely keep his eyes open, let alone form a sentence. He managed to breathe out, "God Michonne"

She giggled, "I'm just returning the favour, now work with me"

She picked up the pace, the sounds of their skin slapping together filling the air. He gripped her hips to lift her again so he could thrust into her from below. He knew he'd be a dead man if he did but he was going to try regardless.

"Oh god yes!" She cried out as she began rubbing on herself again. Rick closed his eyes, he didn't need to see that as well.

"Come inside me Rick, I wanna feel it again"

The desperation in her voice sent chills down his spine. She didn't need to say it twice, he began filling her within seconds, but kept pumping in hopes of drawing out her own orgasm.

"Yes!" She screamed as her movements faltered, and gripped the sheets on the bed. Her walls contracted around him, causing him to groan as she drained every last drop of him. They both slowed to a stop and she crumbled on top of him, laying there panting.

"Good job golden boy"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

He knew he shouldn't have been surprised to wake up in an empty bed that morning, but he was. It all felt too good to be true when she fell asleep in his arms the night before. He watched her for a while before he finally fell asleep himself.

He wished he took her number at least, but then another part of him wondered if she would even want to see him again. If she had, she would have stayed until the morning at least, or maybe said something the night before.

It shouldn't have weighed on his mind as much as it did, but alas, it did. He knew chances of him seeing her in the week were slim, but he still looked out for her like a fool, well the first week he was naive, the third he was a fool. Shane was not much help either. He told Rick that he and Andrea went to a motel, and she was gone by the time he woke up.

He felt like an idiot when he heard that. He convinced himself that that's probably just what they do. He wasn't special to her. He tried to forget about her, and chalk up their night together as a drunken one night stand. He vowed to move on.

"So, I heard your dad's speech earlier, it was great"

He looked over at Lori and nodded, "Yeah, he loves giving speeches"

They stood beside each other next to the main stage at the county fair. Rick didn't really want to be there but his mother insisted and he did need to stop moping around.

"Saw your mom earlier too. She and my mom were gossiping away"

He smirked, "As usual"

Lori nodded and smiled, "They're good at it I guess"

He questioned why he asked Lori to go with him, but initially, he thought it would be a good idea, "How's it going at the preschool?"

"Great actually, I'm really enjoying it, though the kids can get a little messy… one little boy got yellow paint in my hair"

"You probably have more of that to come" He chuckled as he tried to invest himself in the conversation.

"Oh god I know right! I'll look like a rainbow by the end of the school year" She joked.

"Oh there you two are!"

Rick turned at the sound of his mother's voice. She grinned as she approached the two of them, "Y'all enjoying yourselves?"

Rick could have groaned, "Yeah. It's great"

Lori nodded with a smile.

"Oh that's great, I just wanted to check somethan with you Lori, we need…"

Rick could no longer hear his mother's words as he stared out beyond her. His eyes locked on the woman that was following the steady stream of people through the fair.

It was Michonne. Strolling along, arm linked with Andrea's. She looked radiant in the sun. Her dreads pulled were back in a ponytail and she wore a white gypsy top with tight blue jeans. He could see her flat stomach from where he stood as the top barely covered it. He melted at the sight of her.

"Rick!"

He shook his head and looked at his mother and Lori, "Sorry what's that?"

"Dinner, later, our house" His mother repeated, "Lori and her parents will be joining us"

He nodded, even though he would have to come up with an excuse not to go.

"Good, I'll see y'all later than!"

Rick watched his mother disappear in the crowd.

"Hey Lori!"

A small blonde woman appeared beside Lori and the two women began a conversation. Rick looked back over to where he last saw Michonne and she was gone. He questioned if he should have gone over to her. He would have. He would have run over to her if he'd known she'd disappear like that.

He and Lori only spent another hour at the fair before he dropped her home. He planned to go home to freshen up before dinner and she wanted to do the same. He dragged his hand over his face as he drove back to his place. He didn't know why he felt so uneasy but he did.

He was in the middle of thinking of an excuse to tell his mother when he saw her again, getting out of her car with Andrea and heading into the coffee shop. Without even thinking about it he quickly pulled over a couple cars behind hers .

He didn't know what he planned to say to her, but he was going to say something. It only dawned on him that he might look like a creep when he pushed open the door to the coffee store.

Andrea was up at the counter while she sat at a table, eyes on her phone. He was glad he could at least embarrass himself just in front of her and not her friend. He steadied his breathing as he approached the table.

Her eyes rolled up from the screen and landed straight on his. She gave a little smirk, "Hey golden boy"

He struggled to find the right greeting, "Hey"

She sat back and looked him head to toe, "Haven't seen you in a while"

He frowned slightly, "No, not since you snuck out of my house…"

"I didn't sneak out, your just a heavy sleeper" She smiled and he wished she didn't, he was hoping to have a conversation without the benefit of alcohol this time.

"You could have stayed…" He could have kicked himself for sounding so clingy.

She pouted, "Sorry. I'm not good at that"

He nodded, though he was unsure of what she meant.

"I'll make it up to you. Pinkie promise" She smiled again.

"Officer Grimes" Andrea grinned as she approached them, setting down a cup for Michonne, "You not here to arrest her are you? What's my girl done this time?"

"Stop it" Michonne warned.

"How are you Andrea?" He asked politely.

"I'm great thanks, what about you? Where's your buddy Shane at?" Her eyes lit up.

"I'm good and he's probably at home I think" Rick shrugged.

She looked at Michonne and held out her hand. Michonne rolled her eyes and shifted in her seat, retrieving something from her pocket. She dropped a set of keys in Andrea's hand and shook her head.

"He lives on Pine Street right?" Andrea looked back at Rick.

He nodded slowly, his brow furrowing, "Yeah"

"I remember the door number because it's the same as my birthday" She cackled as she put her coffee on the table, "Officer, make sure my girl gets home please?"

His expression didn't change, "Uh, sure-"

"Good! See ya!"

She snaked her way through the other tables and left the coffee store. He looked back at Michonne confused, "Is she really just gonna-"

"Yep. She will" Michonne nodded as she rolled her eyes, "Well, looks like I'm making it up to you today then?"

"You don't have to-"

She stood, and grabbed his arm "Come on, let's go"

He couldn't deny that he was happy to see her again, and even happier to be alone with her. He led her to his car and the two got in.

"Where are we going?" He asked as he put the key in the ignition.

She looked up at the sky through the windshield, "The sun's gonna set soon… let's leave town"

He nodded slowly, trying to figure out what that meant, but he drove anyway.

"How's your… art work going?"

"It's… going", She answered as she opened the window.

"So tell me more about you… so far all I know is your name… your views on marriage… your job title...?"

Her eyes slid over to him, "Do you need to know more than that?"

"I'd like to" He watched her absorb his request.

She shrugged and looked around, "We moved here a few months ago, before that we lived… everywhere and we worked everywhere. That's it"

He nodded, "You move around a lot?"

She smirked, "Whenever I feel like it"

"How long have you been doing that for?"

The smirk disappeared, "I don't know, I don't keep track of time like that"

He pursed his lips. Another thing for him to wonder about, "You ever gonna stop that?"

She finally looked back at him, "When I feel like it"

He bit the inside of his cheek as he nodded, "You plan on sticking around here for a while?"

The smirk appeared again, "If I feel like it, I will"

He didn't want to push her on that, she was already being so vague with him, he didn't want to push her away any further, "Alright, so I guess I should enjoy as much as you as I can and while I can then?"

She bit her lip as she smiled, and he wished she wouldn't do that. She sat up straight and adjusted her ponytail.

"How'd you get your hair like that?" He genuinely wanted to know.

She side eyed him before she answered, "It's twisted over and over again"

He glanced over at her then nodded, "I like it"

She smirked, "Great"

"I like those little silver things in them too"

"Just full of compliments are you?" She folded her arms and sat back against the seat looking at him.

"Ain't that a good thing?"

She chuckled and it sounded like music to his ears, "Let's put Rick Grimes under the microscope for a moment"

"Go ahead" he shrugged as he glanced at her.

"Let me think of a good question…" She strummed her fingers on her chin as if she was deep in thought, "What's going on behind those eyes of yours?"

He frowned slightly and bit his lip, confused by the question.

"I can see there's something else there… I can't figure out what it is… but there's a part of you that you're guarding…"

He glanced over at her, and she raised her eyebrows at him, "A part of me that I'm guarding?"

"Yep. A feeling. An emotion. Something. You're not as adorable as you seem. I can bet money on that"

He nodded slowly, though he couldn't imagine what she was talking about.

"I think I can bring it out of you"

He glanced at her again, "Is it now?"

She nodded and turned her eyes back to the road, "Let's find a nice spot to park up"

He looked around at the empty stretch of fields.

"In fact, right there is perfect"

He followed her finger and parked up not far from a few trees, "What are we doing here?"

"Whatever you want" She shrugged as she got out the car.

He stared at the passenger seat for a moment after she got out, wondering if he'll ever understand her, before getting out too. She walked around to the back of his truck and climbed in.

"I've always wanted a pickup truck" She grinned as she sat on the roof.

He climbed up to the roof from the driver's side and joined her, "Why didn't you get one?"

"Have you seen my Chevrolet? She's a beauty"

He had to agree. It was a nice car.

"I actually had a car like Hell's chariot from that movie Grease… flames and everything"

He frowned at her as he began to laugh, "No way"

"I did! I loved that car, but I totalled it. Saw the Chevy and fell in love again"

He shook his head at the image of her driving around in a car like that.

"Look at the sun set" She almost whispered as she pointed towards his side of the road, "Me and Annie used to sit on the roof of the apartment block we grew up on to watch it"

Rick couldn't stop staring at her, "How'd you two meet?"

Her smile fell slightly as she straightened up, "I was sent to live with my aunt. She lived next door with her dad. We would play together"

He nodded, one part of him was happy she told him but the other felt bad for asking her after seeing her reaction, "She's the person who you've lived and worked everywhere with?"

"Yeah…" She kept her eyes ahead of her, "We've never really had anybody else but each other… so we've stuck together for a long time… people around here think we're lesbians"

Rick didn't know what to say as he had heard that about them too.

"I couldn't leave her… she needs me" The last part came out as a whisper.

He nodded slowly, feeling sadness in her words, but he couldn't place why. She didn't look sad when she said it, her expression was almost blank, but there was a faint worry in her tone.

"How'd you and Shane meet?" She looked at him, her brown eyes glowing from the sun light.

"Uh, our dads have been friends since they were kids, so we pretty much grew up together"

"That's sweet" She smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder, "You're basically brothers"

He nodded, "Yeah. I mean I have an older brother but… I'm closer to Shane"

"Your brother doesn't live around here?"

"Nah, he moved up to Indiana when I was young, haven't really seen him since"

She took his hand and laced her fingers with his, "I had an older brother too. Don't know where his is though"

"He moved away?"

She shook her head, "No, my aunt said she could only take one of us, and I was younger so, she chose me"

Rick looked down at her with questions swirling around in his mind. He didn't want to pry any further, but that sadness he felt earlier only grew, "You should show me your work sometime"

A small smile tugged on the corner of her lips, "Sure"

"I mean it"

She sat up and looked at him, "Fine, we'll go back to my place after"

"After what?"

She stood up, "We get something to eat. Told you I'm making it up to you"

"You don't have-"

"Come on Grimes! I wanna check out your music taste too" She looked back and winked at him before climbing down off his truck.

He hoped to god he didn't have anything embarrassing.

He climbed down and hopped in the driver's seat. He bit his lip as she fussed around with the volume.

He glanced at her as he made an upturn on the empty road. Her eyes lit up as she listened to the song start up.

"No way! Weezer!" She chuckled, "I was obsessed with this song!"

He felt relief wash over to him.

"We used to play it constantly in my old car.. I'm so angry that I forgot about this song!"

She was so animated as she spoke, the same way he had seen her previously with Andrea. He decided he loved to see her excited.

"Only in dreams, we see what it means…" She sang along, swaying and clicking her fingers, "..Reach out our hands, hold onto hers…"

He smiled as he watched her, impressed that not being able to sing wasn't stopping her from belting out the words.

"...But when we wake, it's all been erased...And so it seems, only in dreams..."

He laughed as she enjoyed an air drum solo.

"Sing it with me Rick!" She grinned before she started shouting, "Only in dreaaamss!"

He shook his head as he found himself joining in, "Only in dreaaams!"

They both sounded completely tone deaf, but neither cared. He was falling in love with her in that moment, watching her laughing and smiling and singing. He had to force himself to take his eyes off her and pay attention to the road. They arrived back in town and he drove them to a burger bar.

"God I'm so hungry" She complained as he held the door open for her.

"You're not the only one" He added as he walked in behind her.

She slid into the booth and he joined her on the opposite side, "I like to steal people's food so, you've been warned"

"Duly noted" He smirked as he looked over the menu.

"I want a cheeseburger and cheese fries"

"Sure that's enough cheese?"

"No actually. It's not" She huffed as she put the menu back to stand.

"Deputy Grimes"

He looked up to see Elaine the waitress. The woman was smiling tightly, her eyes darting between he and Michonne. Michonne just rolled her eyes and looked out the window.

"What can I get you?"

He straightened up as tried to understand the unnecessary tension, "Yeah, two cheese burgers, one regular fries and one cheese, with two cokes please"

Elaine nodded as she jotted down the order. She looked over at Michonne one more time before give Rick a smile, "Be with you in a moment"

He gave her a nod and watched her walk away, "What was that about?"

Michonne smirked as she continued to look out the window.

"Tell me" His gaze went back to her. He leaned forward and rested his hand on top of hers.

She turned her head to look at his hand, then his face, then around at the dinner. He followed her line of sight and noticed most people were looking over at them, only turning away when they were caught. He frowned and looked back at her.

"You just noticed?" She raised her eyebrows at him.

"Why though?" He was genuinely confused. He couldn't understand why they were getting so much attention.

She shook her head at him, "Did you forget who you are around here?"

He frowned and shrugged.

"Did you forget who I am around here?" She stared at him, then relaxed a fraction when she realised he really didn't understand, "Rick I don't have a good reputation around here…"

He bit the inside of his cheek as he listened.

"Most people around here think I'm the black alcoholic lesbian. Annie's the blonde one. We've been called heathens a couple of times too and not in the general sense either"

He smirked in disbelief, "What?"

"Yep"

He shook his head at what he was hearing. He didn't need to hear any of that, "I don't care about any of that, let them talk"

Her gaze dropped to his hand that still rested on hers. He lifted her hand to his lips and gave her a soft kiss on the back of her hand. She smiled shyly and shook her head.

"Uh… your drinks"

Elaine stood there with a teeth baring smile, awkwardly looking between the two. She placed the drinks down on the table and slowly backed away before turning around.

Rick couldn't help but laugh and neither could Michonne. He honestly couldn't care what people thought. He knew different so that's all that mattered to him. He was enjoying himself with her, he couldn't remember a time where he'd been this happy, until his phone rang and he saw it was his mother. It slowly dawned on him that he had forgotten to call to excuse himself from the dinner at his parents' home.

"Shit" He mumbled as he watched his phone ring.

"What's wrong?" She asked as she stole a fry from his plate.

"Was meant to have dinner with my parents tonight, forgot to cancel" He huffed as he put his phone face down on the table.

"You can still go" She shrugged, "It's still early.. ish"

He shook his head, "Nah I didn't wanna go in the first place"

She nodded, "Wonder what Annie's doing with Shane"

He smirked and shook his head, "I'm sure they're enjoying themselves"

"Probably" She raised her eyebrows in agreement.

He thought for a moment, "Why did you leave that morning?"

She paused and looked at him, before looking down at her plate, "I told you, I'm not good at sticking around"

"So what happens after this?" He rubbed his thumb and index finger together in anticipation of her answer.

She gave a small shrug, "I don't think that far ahead"

"Do you want to see me again?"

He could tell she was becoming uncomfortable with the new direction of the conversation as she studied the food on her plate.

"Rick… I'm not good with things like this… I don't do what we're doing now… I've never even been on a date… I just keep it moving"

He nibbled on the corner of his lip as he watched her, "You didn't answer my question"

She finally looked up at him, "Does it matter if I do?"

"Yeah" He scoffed, "Of course it does"

She looked around the bar, "Let's go. I said I'd show you my work"

He stared at her, confused, before nodding in agreement. He wasn't expecting to feel so deflated from her reluctance to answer him. He tried to figure out why she was holding back from him. He knew she was elusive but even after spending the evening with him she was still closed off. He had fun with her and he knows she did to.

Besides her giving him directions, they barely spoke on the drive over to her house. He didn't know what else to say but he didn't want to leave her either. A part of him was interested in seeing her home too. He thought that would give him an insight to the type of person she was.

He followed her from his truck to her house. It was a one story home with pink shutters on the windows. He wondered if that's why she chose it.

Walking in he was greeted with a combination of things. The house smelt of flowers, so much so it was almost overbearing. Canvases almost everywhere and blue lawn furniture in the living area. He frowned at that. She kicked off her gym shoes and turned around to face him.

"Annie loves patio sets"

"In the living room-"

"Yes" She crossed her arms.

He nodded.

"Come on" She led him to the back of the house where there were three doors. He imagined one was a bathroom and the other was Andrea's room. When she opened the door he realised he was wrong. It was a studio.

"Wow" He said as he walked around admiring the different sized canvases and boards. He was amazed, her work was incredible, "This is all pretty… biblical"

"I'm into a lot of Italian renaissance work so… yeah biblical" She shrugged.

He nodded as he stared at one piece, "So… If you this is where you work…"

"We share a bed"

He looked at her.

She backed up and tilted her head towards the other door. She opened it and he was met with another combination of things. A queen sized bed with fairy lights wrapped around the posts, a picture of a deer on the wall and what appeared to be two large tanks on a display unit, with two large snakes in side.

"That's Peaches and that's Frank" She pointed from tank to tank.

"Nice" He lied. He hadn't realise he wasn't a snake person until that moment.

He tore his eyes away from the beasts to look at her, and saw she was undressing. She took her top off and was working on getting her jeans off too. He didn't move as he didn't know what was happening, since they were in her room, she could have been getting changed.

She took her bra off and then peeled her thong off. Rick cursed his body for reacting so quickly.

She looked at him from over her shoulder in a way he now knew he loved, "What are you waiting for?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

 _"We're gonna run away together"_

 _"And go where?"_

 _"Anywhere we want! We'll live what we want, do what we want, just the two of us… no one can hurt us ever again"_

 _"What if we get boyfriends…"_

 _"We won't… my mom used to tell me that you can kiss all the boys you like if you're not married"_

 _"Really?...okay"_

 _"...You have to promise to never leave me Mimi"_

 _"I promise. And you promise to never leave me"_

 _"...I won't. I promise. We'll stay together forever… until we're old and wrinkly"_

 _"ANDREA! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"_

...

Michonne groaned as she stretched in bed, but then paused when she felt a limb over her middle. Her eyes widened as she realised who it was. She inwardly groaned instead.

She felt him stir against her, his arm pulling her closer. She wanted to punch herself as he began kissing along her shoulder.

"Hey there…" was all she could manage to say.

"Hey" He rasped in her ear, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine.

"Uh… so" She didn't know what to say. She didn't even know how to act, so just lay on her side staring at the wall in front of her.

"Probably need to apologise to Andrea for stealing her place last night" He chuckled.

She gave a pathetic attempt at a chuckle back, "Yeah"

He continues kissing her again, and her eyes almost fluttered closed but she reminded herself of what was happening.

"Uh, you should probably give your folks a call?"

He groaned and laid back flat on the bed. She took the opportunity to slide out of the bed. She grabbed her dressing robe from the chair beside the bed and turned to face him. He looked like an Adonis as he lay in her bed. She bit her cheek to keep herself focused.

"I'll go make us some coffee" She managed to choke out, turning and leaving before he had a chance to say anything else.

She dragged her hand down her face as she walked to the kitchen area. She felt like an idiot for letting him stay the night. She knew Andrea would have a fit when she told her. She groaned again as she put on a fresh pot of coffee. She could hear him on the phone next door and wondered what he was telling his parents. She hoped he didn't mention her.

She couldn't deny that she enjoyed herself with him. She did. She loved every second of it. But she was telling the truth when she told him she doesn't do things like that. She's never seen the same man twice. She always kept it moving and that was her and Andrea's motto.

By the time she had three cups of coffee made he appeared out the bedroom in just his jeans.

"All good?" She asked when she noticed he wore an annoyed expression on his face.

"Yeah" He breathed as he leaned on the counter, his jaw clenched.

She looked around the room aimlessly for a moment, uncomfortable and unaware of what to say, "I gotta let the snakes out"

He looked at her, "Out?"

"Yeah… we let them wander around in the mornings"

He nodded, "What made you get-"

"They're beautiful. That's why. So don't judge"

"How'd you know that's what I was gonna say?" He tilted his head at her.

"Fine, what were you going to say?" She put her cup down and crossed her arms.

"I was going to say, what made you get blue patio furniture?"

"Oh stop! You were not!" She waved a dismissive hand at him.

"You don't know that" He shrugged as he smiled at her.

The way he looked at her made her stomach flutter, "Alright golden boy"

His eyes locked on hers, "I want to see you again".

She tried to disguise the strange sound that escaped her mouth by clearing her throat, "Uh… Rick-"

"Don't. I know what you said yesterday. I remember nearly everythan' you said yesterday, even the thangs I didn't understand, and I still want to see you again"

She shifted uncomfortably as she looked down at the wood flooring beneath them.

"...I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since that night… I tried to stop and focus on other stuff but it didn't work and then yesterday… it's just not fair. You can't let me fall for you and then expect me to understand that this is the end… that's not fair at all"

She bit her lip nervously at his admission, his words making her heart sigh, "Okay"

"Okay?" He repeated as he turned to face her.

"Okay, we can see each other again"

He studied her face for a moment before smiling and stepping closer to her.

She couldn't help but smile back as wrapped his arms around her waist. He pressed his lips on hers and pulled her towards him. She allowed his tongue to slip between her lips and dance with her own. As happy as she was, planted there with him, she felt a lump in her chest for Andrea.

A cloud of anxiety hung over her for the rest of the morning, even more so when Rick left. She changed the sheets on their bed and tidied the home as best she could as she waited for her friends return.

"Honey! I'm home!"

She was in the middle of putting the snakes back in their cages when she finally arrived. Andrea appeared at the bedroom door, wide smile on her face.

"Have a fun night?" Michonne asked as she closed the tank.

"I did!" Andrea beamed as she skipped over to the bed and threw herself down, "Oh you changed the sheets. I like"

"What did you and Shane get up to?" She asked as she joined her friend on the bed.

"Oh! I made him drive us into the city. We got sushi, saw a movie, went to a bar then had dessert in a gorgeous hotel" Andrea grinned as she reminisced, "I almost felt bad telling him we're moving"

Michonne tensed, snapping her eyes shut for a moment, "You don't want to see him again?"

"God no. What kind of question is that? No, we had fun and that's it. Remember we keep it moving" Andrea shook her head as she looked up at the ceiling, before turning to Michonne, "What did you and golden boy get up to?"

She shrugged, "We took a drive out of town, came back and got something to eat… nothing you know…"

Andrea stared at her.

She took a deep breath, "I brought him back here…"

Andrea jerked her head back before sitting up to look at her, "You brought him home? To our house?"

"I did…"

She looked down at the sheets in horror, "You fucked him in our bed?"

Michonne nodded shamefully.

"Is this some sort of sick joke?"

She shook her head, her gaze on the floral bed sheets.

"How could you? We agreed that we never ever bring a man home! Ever! And you bring him in our home! Fuck him in our bed!" Andrea stood up and pointed at her friend, "How could you do this to me! You're meant to be my sister!"

"Annie it's not like that! I'm still your sister and nothing will ever change-" She frowned at her, hurt she would ever insinuate she wasn't her family.

Andrea's eyes glistened with tears, "It changes when you bring a man in! You promised to never leave me-"

"I'm not leaving you!" Michonne stood and faced her.

"You will if you keep seeing him! If you two get together then what happens to me?!"

"I'm not-" Michonne tried to hold back her tears and stay calm, "I'm not seeing him like that okay?! I brought him here to show him my work-"

"All these years and all these guys and you bring this one home?" Andrea squinted at her, "Why him? Do you like him? Are you going to see him again?"

"No Annie! It won't happen again okay! I slipped up and I'm sorry-"

"We promised to never leave each other" Andrea's voice broke as she stamped her foot, "We promised. We promised to never let anyone come between us, you promised me that!"

"I still promise you that!" Michonne climbed on the bed and crawled to her, kneeling as she took her hands in hers, "We are sisters, we stick together and we never leave each other. I will never leave you and you'll never leave me, no one will hurt us as long as we're together, okay? No one will ever come between us"

Andrea sniffed as she looked at her friend, her eyes darting all over her face as if she was trying to see if she was lying, "No one?"

"No one" Michonne pulled her into her arms and wrapped her arms around her. She stroked her hair as she whispered, "I love you Annie"

"I love you too Mimi" Andrea sniffed, "I'm ready to leave now"

Michonne's eyes snapped shut at her words. She knew this day was coming but not so soon. Her heart weighed heavy in her chest as she figured out what to do. She'd never leave her friend. She couldn't. But she just got things started with Rick, she had agreed to see him again and she wanted to see him again. But she couldn't chose him over her.

Andrea had already started packing the next day. Michonne made arrangements with their landlord for her paintings to be sent to them, once they figured out where they were going. One of the best things about moving so often was they never kept much.

She didn't know what she planned to tell Rick though. She thought of just leaving and letting him figure it out on his own but the thought of his reaction to that made her feel sick. She gathered her thoughts and drove over to see him that night. She would have called but she gave him hers and didn't think to take his.

She was an anxious mess by the time she reached his front door. She tugged at her dress and shifted side to side as she waited for him to open the door.

He appeared and frowned for a second before smiling, "Wh-"

"I'm leaving" She spat out before he could say anything else.

His head jerked back as his frown deepened, "Excuse me?"

"We're leaving. Me and Andrea" She gazed around aimlessly as she tried to explain, "She's ready to leave, so I'm- we're leaving"

He exhaled as his jaw clenched, he stepped aside.

She opened her mouth to protest to going inside but she relented, and walked inside quickly. She nearly jumped when she heard the door slam behind her. She walked straight to the living area and stood near the couch.

"Why?" He asked while he scratched his brow with his thumb, head down.

She sighed, "I told her what happened with us"

He looked around as if he couldn't understand what that meant.

"Rick, me and Andrea, have always been there for each other, always, and we promised to never let anyone come between us-"

"You think I'd come between the two of you?" He tilted his head at her.

"You would, any man would" She dragged her hands through her hair in frustration, "Say you and I want to be in a relationship, we start seeing each other more, we may even live together, we may start a family together... where does that leave her?"

Rick frowned at her explanation, "She'll have her own life-"

"No! We are each other's lives" She felt tears burning her eyes again, "We… we can't leave each other"

He clenched his jaw as he stared her down, "Do you want that? Do you want to continue moving around, not allowing yourself to have any happiness outside Andrea-"

"That's not-"

"Yes it is! If it wasn't true then why did you come over here and tell me anythan'? If you didn't feel anythan' for me you could have just left! If all those things you said weren't a possibility then why the hell are you pushing me away?"

"Rick you don't understand! She's been with me since day one! We were the only bit of happiness in each other's lives for so long!" She wiped her eyes with her index fingers, "Her dad was a drunken mess, and my aunt was a strict old vicious bitch, we put up with so much shit when we were kids, so much shit that kids are not meant to have to deal with and we were each other's rocks through that! We would hold each other… just hold each other… and we still do now… we never had anyone else but each other, and we can't be without each other"

Rick kept his head down as he listened to her.

"I don't know if you know how it feels, when you have no one… how it feels to be truly alone… when you're surrounded by people and have no one to talk to… she was that person that changed it all for me, and I was that person for her, and so if it seems like I'm sacrificing my happiness for her then fine, I am and I will"

He exhaled and dragged his hand over his face, and looked around his apartment, "I'm sorry that the two of you went through all that, I really am… but you both can't restrict each other like that, it's not healthy to have that kind of dependency on someone, you have to be able to function by yourselves-"

"Rick-" She breathed as she rubbed her temples.

"You can still be there for each other and you know it, you can have your own lives and still be there. No one has to leave anyone" He stepped closer to her, "And how long are you gonna keep moving around for? Another year? Or five? Maybe ten? And what happens if you wake up one day and regret not taking a chance at having your own life? What happens if you start to resent each other for holding the other one back?"

She sniffed as she looked up at him, "I'll deal with it"

He reached up and cupped her cheek.

She shook her head and stepped back, "I have to go"

He rubbed the back of his neck, "When are you leaving?"

"Monday morn-"

Before she could say anything else he reached out and pulled her to him and caught her lips with his. She knew she should have stopped him but she couldn't. His grip was so tight it almost hurt. He picked her up and carried her to his bedroom.

She let go of everything in that moment. She forgot about leaving. She forgot about the possible consequences of being with him again. She just cared at about being with him.

He stripped her off her clothes and did the same with his own. She lay down beneath him as he planted little kisses across her chest and neck, up to her mouth again. She wanted to be under him. She wanted to feel his skin against hers.

She turned and laid on her stomach. She moaned when she felt him at her entrance. He guided himself within her and she gasped. He shifted above her so he was leaning on one of his forearms while snaking the other arm between her and the mattress, so he held her against him.

The feeling of him inside her, him holding her and his breath in her ear, all left her in euphoric state. She wanted to stay right there. Hidden away from the world.

Her moans grew as he thrust in and out of her. She couldn't get enough of the feeling of him. They fit perfectly, he matched her perfectly. This man that she had only ever seen around and spent time with twice before hand was invading her like a plague. He wasn't just inside her sexually; he was clouding her mind, interrupting her way of life and taking over her heart. And she was allowing him to.

Once there tryst was over, she lay beside him, a hot, sweaty mess. He cocooned himself around her, his leg intertwined with hers, his arm firmly around her waist, his head laying in the crook of her neck. She lazily played with his hair as she stared out in front of her.

"I don't want you to go"

She sighed at his words, "I know"

"Do you want to go?"

She closed her eyes, "I'll go wherever she goes"

She felt him tense around her.

"I'm sorry" She breathed.

"I know"

She didn't know when she fell asleep, but she woke feeling horrible. She slipped out from beneath him as gently as she could. She didn't want to wake him and say goodbye. She took her clothes out of the room and got dressed in the living room. She looked around and sighed when she was done, then stared at his bedroom door for a while. The sadness only grew the longer she stood there, wishing she could crawl back into bed with him.

She snuck out and drove home. She opened all the windows in her car to feel the cool early morning breeze on her skin. It kept her awake and calm. It also the disguised the faint smell of his cologne that still lingered on her.

Andrea was sound asleep when she got home. She changed into an old t-shirt and climbed into bed beside her. She closed her eyes when she felt the tears begin to fall.

She tried to behave as normally as she could that Sunday, but it was hard. She knew Andrea had worked out something was up but she tried to act as if everything was normal. It was early in the evening when she came to her in the studio.

"Let's go out. Go to a bar and have a farewell drink to this town" Andrea smiled as she leaned against the doorway with Frank in her arms.

"Uh, sure okay" Michonne shrugged as she wrapped her paint brushes up.

"We can get all dressed up and get drunk, maybe kiss a few boys, then tomorrow we'll start our journey"

"Yeah, alright, I'll get ready when I finish getting these packed"

She took her time putting her attention supplies together before finally taking a shower and getting ready. She dug out her black strapless dress and heels. She did her makeup and let her hair down. They left just as it started getting dark and headed straight to the bar.

Michonne was looking forward to a drink. She felt she needed it as soon as Andrea mentioned it. They drank and began to laugh together again. They hadn't laughed together since before they had their argument a night ago. It felt like old times and she enjoyed it.

She wasn't enjoying the male attention they were getting however. Before Rick she wouldn't have cared. She would have welcomed it in some instances. But she would rather have him staring at her, flirting with her, charming her.

"So, what's our plan tomorrow? We heading north?" Andrea asked as she sipped her fifth drink.

"Uh, yeah, sure" Michonne nodded as she did the same.

Andrea stared at her, "I was actually thinking New York?"

She tensed as she drained her cup, "I need another drink"

She stood and headed to the bar, leaving her friend frowning at her back, "Two shots please Martinez"

The bartender looked at her, then Andrea, "You're going pretty fast tonight?"

"Not fast enough, so shots please" She flicked her hair over her shoulder.

Martinez eyed her for a moment before giving her a nod, "Alright but pace yourself, stop chugging them back like they're water"

"Will do" She lied.

She took their drinks back to their table.

"What's going on Mimi?" Andrea asked as she studied her friend.

"Nothing, we're out drinking and having fun" She shrugged.

"Don't lie to me. You've been acting weird since this morning, and you're throwing them back like there's no tomorrow" Andrea frowned again.

Michonne sighed, "Please Annie, can we just have some fun, this was your idea and I'm trying here-"

"What is going on? Tell me now"

She closed her eyes and ran her hands over her hair, the effects of all the alcohol beginning to hit her, "I don't think I'm ready to leave"

"What?" Andrea's head jerked back as she looked at her.

"I don't think I'm ready to leave"

Andrea stared at her with a confused expression, before her face fell and her eyes narrowed, "You're not ready to leave him you mean?"

She released a shaky breath, "Annie, I love you more than anything else in the world, you know that, but I want us to try and live normal lives-"

"You mean you want to run off with your boyfriend?" Andrea spat through gritted teeth, "I can't believe you're doing this to me"

"I'm not doing this to hurt us-"

"Bullshit!" Andrea stood and emptied the shot glass in one go.

Michonne did the same before snatching her purse off the table following behind her as she stomped out the bar, "Annie stop it! You're not listening to me!"

"Why should I?" Andrea turned around in the parking lot to look at her, "Why the fuck should I! You think I haven't met a nice guy that I've wondered about? Wondered if I could have something with? But I don't even bring it up because I will always be loyal to you!"

"I am not being disloyal!"

"Yes you are! You're letting him come between us! You all of a sudden want to stay in this shitty little town where nobody likes us just so you can run around-"

"Why is that a bad thing! Why is it a bad thing for us to let somebody else in!"

Andrea scowled and turned around as she began to walk again.

Michonne grabbed her arm, "No Annie! You talk to me right now! Do you think I can't love both of you? Do you think I can't care for both of you? We support each other on everything else so why can't we support each other on this!"

"Because we promised! Did you fucking forget that? We promised that it was-"

"That will never change!"

"Yes it will!" The tears fell from Andrea's eyes, cutting a track through her make up, "You'll go off and have a little family because you aren't as screwed up as me! You can function properly, you don't wake up in the night fucking scared out of your mind, you… you're fucking amazing, and I don't want to share you"

Michonne smudged her makeup as she whipped her eyes, "I will always be there for you Annie. Always. But I'm tired of running. I am"

Andrea shook her head and looked around, her eyes stopping on something. She looked and saw Rick and Shane stood a few feet away, both watching with wide eyes.

"Oh look! It's lover boy!" Andrea exclaimed with an arm out in Rick's direction, "Look he's right there! Go on and leave me for him!"

"Annie stop it!" Michonne warned as she stepped towards her.

"Go on and run to your precious golden boy!"

"Stop it!"

"No you stop it Mimi! You're the one tearing us apart not me! You're the one that broke us! You did this! You broke your promise-"

"I broke nothing and you know it!-"

"Fuck you Mimi!" Andrea turned around and walked through the car park.

Michonne followed after, almost stumbling in her heels, her head swimming from her previous drinks, "Annie if you care about me-"

"Oh go to hell with that!" Andrea swung around and screamed at her, "Was it him that used to sit with you after you bitch of an aunt hit you? Was it him? Who went through that with you? It was me!"

"And I did the same for you!"

"But you're throwing it all away for him! You're a bad friend Michonne, and you are not my sister anymore"

Michonne stood frozen at her words, she couldn't even speak. She stared at her friend dumbfounded.

Andrea turned and stomped out the parking lot and across the street. Michonne was closed her eyes to wipe away her tears and stop the burning sensation from her mascara, when she heard a sound she would never forget.

Tires screeched and glass broke. She looked up and saw her best friends body bounce off the hood of a car, landing hard on the pavement with a loud crack.

Michonne's blood ran cold as her body shook.

She couldn't move.

Time stopped as she stood planted, watching the only person she knew as family die on the side of the road.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

The town Rick grew up in was a small town. Everybody knew everyone else's business. If anything out of the usual happened, people would talk about it for a while, it didn't matter what it was. His mother was one of the many women in that town that loved to gossip and to hear gossip and she was free to because none of it was ever about her family. But that all changed when he met Michonne.

Having never lost anyone close to him, besides his grandparents, which was expected as they were old, he was still good at showing empathy because he cared. He didn't really didn't like to see people upset. But nothing broke him more than seeing Michonne crouched over her best and only friends body, screaming her heart out.

Pulling her off her was a challenge in itself. She didn't care that the paramedics or other officers were trying to get to her. She was refusing to let go of her, and while he never experienced it, he understood. He knew what Andrea meant to her.

He was racked with guilt the moment he was alone. He wished he had intervened when he had the chance. The only reason he didn't was because he knew they were having an argument about a very sensitive and serious subject to them both, something he was technically the centre of.

He knew Shane felt the same way. He was hurting too. Rick knew he liked Andrea a lot, despite not making it too obvious.

The morning after was another challenge, when she woke up, the memories came flooding back and she let out a blood-curdling cry that shook him to the core. He rocked her back to sleep in his arms. He wasn't sure what else to do but it seemed right at the time.

It was shortly after that when he received a phone call from his mother. He left his room to take it.

"I heard about what happened last night" His mother said dryly.

He sighed, "Yeah?"

"Is it true they were arguing over you?"

He groaned.

"Well?"

"They were having problems, they were already arguing by the time we got there"

"But were their problems over you? I heard the white one-"

"Andrea" He bit out, "Her name was Andrea"

His mother paused, "I heard Andrea, was saying how she chose you over her-"

"Mom, I really don't want to talk about this-"

"Richard. We spoke about this before. When you missed our dinner and I heard you were kissing up on her at that burger place. Now her friend kills herself because-"

"It was an accident. I saw it with my own eyes. She was drunk and upset and she wasn't paying attention to where she was going"

"Rick. You need to listen to what you're saying. You realise what this looks like don't you? Do you realise what this could do to our name-"

"I'm a twenty six year old man, anything I do is to my own name-"

"You know that's not how it works around here! I will not have you soil our reputation because your going through some phase-"

"Some phase?" He winced his eyes as he listen to his mother.

"You heard me. I get it, she's new and different and you want to experiment but you need to remember who your father is and who your family are. So I suggest you take what happened last night as a sign and cut all ties immediately"

Rick stared ahead in disbelief, "Mom I have to go. I will talk to you later"

"Rick-"

He hung up the phone and dragged a hand over his face. He was not in any mood to deal with his mother.

The next few days where hard. Michonne decided against a funeral, as she didn't want her friend buried in the town. She told Rick to have her cremated instead. He and Shane did, and took the urn back to her home along with her vehicle from the bar.

People in town where buzzing about the incident and it angered him. The gossip that was going around angered him. He didn't want Michonne to ever hear any of it. Or Shane for that matter. People looked at him, one or two braver people even asked him about it. He would keep answers extremely vague or not answer at all.

"I'm going home"

He watched her lift her head from his lap and sit up. She got off the bed and grabbed her purse, dress and heels from the chair. He had put her in a pair of his sweatpants and t-shirt after the accident and that's all she wore since.

"I'll drive you" He stood as well and pulled his boots on.

She refused his socks and walked out the apartment barefoot. He was grateful it was a short walk to his car and there was nothing on the floor that she could hurt herself on.

She didn't say anything else but she hadn't said much at all in the first place. He didn't really expect her to so he'd just stick with her, hold her when they slept. Apart of him would never admit that he was grateful when she stopped crying but the other part of him felt guilty because her crying was replaced with silence.

When they arrived at her home she stopped dead on the front porch for almost a minute, just staring at the the door. He stood behind her with his head down waiting. She finally did open the door and walk in.

The house had a faint smell of flowers. No where near as potent as it had been when he first went there. He saw it as a symbolic. There was a bottle of wine sat on the kitchen counter with one glass nearly empty beside it. It had red lipstick on the rim and Rick snapped his eyes shut when he remembered Andrea had been wearing it that night. Her urn sat on the table where he left it. He wondered what Michonne would do with it.

He followed her to the bedroom. The room was bare. The lights gone and the deer picture gone. The sheets were gone from the bed. The room didn't have much to begin with but it looked even emptier now.

He watched as she rifled through a duffle bag and took out a pair of white gym shoes. She put them on and stood there for a moment.

"I'm leaving"

His head dropped again. He knew at the back of his mind that there was a chance she'd still leave. She didn't want to stick around here after what happened. He thought himself selfish for wanting her to stay despite all of that.

"Is there anythan'..." He started, then stopped himself. His hand falling to his side.

She didn't look at him. She hadn't looked at him since the night. Her eyes were always down cast, she'd only look up if he wasn't in her line of vision. He wondered if that was because of guilt or blame.

"I don't know what to say, or what you want me to say" He dragged his hand down his tired face, "I don't want you to go, and you know I don't, but if you feel like it's time to go then…"

She didn't anything. She disappeared out the room. He heard her go in to the other room, then come back with two large containers and drawstring bags. She put each snake in a bag and then one in each bag in the container. She disappeared with one container first, and he heard her open the front door. He knew she was probably putting it in the trunk of her car.

He sighed and picked up the other one, feeling slightly confident to do such a thing as he knew the serpent was locked away. Her steps faltered when she saw what he was doing but she continued on. They only had one large duffle bag and a smaller one left to put in the car.

Rick sat in the lawn chair as he watched her throw out all the food in the fridge into a garbage bag. She moved fairly quickly.

His felt a tightness in his chest as he sat there. His knee bounced nervously. He didn't know what to do with himself. When she finished she just stood there, scanning over, completing a mental checklist in her head.

"Where are you gonna go?"

He didn't know why he asked, he knew she probably wasn't going to stay long wherever she was going either.

"North". Her eyes stopped moving for a moment.

He nodded as he stood and slowly stepped towards her. She kept her arms folded over her chest and her head down. He rested the palm of his hand against her jaw and his cheek against her temple.

"You never did make it up to me"

He felt her frown against him, "I did"

"No" He sighed, "I paid for dinner"

She slowly looked up at him, and he never realised how much he missed the veiw of her eyes. It was a bittersweet moment. He could see nothing but hurt in them.

"I'll get the next one", she looked over his face.

He nodded, "I'm gonna hold you to that"

He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. He wanted to savour that moment, he wanted to remember everything he could about her, from the way she smelled to the way she tasted, how she felt and how she sounded. He wanted to be able to think of her and feel she was right there with him.

He broke away from her and exhaled. She quickly turned and walked towards the door. He followed her, and waited by her car as she locked the door and left the key under the welcome mat. He looked in her car and saw she put the urn in the passenger seat with the seat belt around it. He hoped she would find a nice place to put it eventually.

She walked over and sighed as she looked around the yard. He opened her car door for her and stood back. She made her way over and got in, he shut the door for her and headed over to his own car.

He bit his lip as he watched her pull out, the tightness in his chest almost choking him. She didn't look back. He was thankful for that. She drove up the street and he stood there watching until he could no longer see her car.

He looked around aimlessly for a moment, before finally getting into his car and driving back home.

 **Further down the road:**

"So I had her bent over in the bathroom right? And she-"

"In the bathroom Shane? The bar bathroom?"

"Yeah! I told you she was a freak! So she does this thing where her leg was wrapped around-"

"Shane please. I've never, not once, asked for you to tell me any of the sordid encounters you have with these women-"

"See now, your mouth is saying no but your eyes are saying-"

"No too. So please, I gotta see these women around town so the last thing I need is to be picturing them wrapped around your-"

"Dad!"

Both men looked up to see the young boy running towards them. Rick sat forward on the park bench, "What's wrong buddy?"

"I found a worm that was this big" His hands opened to an exaggerated length.

"Carl if you found a worm that big it would have ate you!" Shane chuckled as he ruffled the young boys hair.

"Really dad?" Carl looked at his father with a surprised look that was traced with worry.

Rick glanced at Shane, "Worms don't eat people son so you'll be fine. Your uncle Shane here was just being funny"

"Yeah I'm just playing with buddy" Shane stood, "Come on, let's go find that mammoth sized worm you was talking about"

Carl shot off ahead of them and the two men trailed behind them.

"The big thirty three tomorrow man!" Shane smacked him hard on the back, "You're getting old!"

"You're already thirty three so how does that work?" Rick frowned at him.

"I'm repeating the same shit you said to me on my birthday, you asswhole" Shane said dryly.

Rick chuckled at the memory, "I did didn't I?"

"We still going out to dinner right?"

"Yeah, my parents are gonna take Carl for the night"

"Good. I'm picking up Sasha so we can just meet you up there"

Rick raised his eyebrows, "She letting you pick her up? She hates you"

"Nah man, not no more, I've been putting in work with her", Shane grinned, "I keep all my dirty jokes to myself, I compliment her on her face only, and every morning I bring her an apple and put it on her desk"

Rick looked over at his friend with an apologetic look, "You're the reason she always has them apples?"

Shane frowned, "Yeah why?"

"She always offers me an apple when I get there and I always take it" Rick winced.

Shane's face fell.

"Look, she's the only female in an department full of men, she probably gets hit on all the time, you need to stop doing things that's obviously not you because she's probably thinking you're just trying to get into her pants and then you'll go back to being an ass" Rick shrugged.

Shane was deflated, "It's been a year since she started working with us and I am losing the will here man"

Rick rolled his eyes, "Yeah that's why you was in the bathroom with Jenny last weekend"

Shane grinned, "A man had needs and you know that"

Rick shook his head at his best friend. He was fresh out of hope for him. He always thought one day he would calm and settle down but that didn't seem to be the case. He seemed to have gotten worse over the years, his stories were more filthy and he was insisting on telling Rick more and more. He hoped he wasn't going through an early mid life crisis.

Rick wasn't looking forward to his birthday. He rarely did after he turned thirty. Though he was looking forward to going out with his wife and friends though so there was an upside.

"Happy birthday dad!" Carl greeted him with a box and a card that morning when he had just woken up in bed.

Rick kissed him on the forehead and took the gifts from his son, "Thank you son, where's your mom?"

"Making pancakes" Carl's little face screwed up in disgust.

Rick chuckled and threw his legs out the bed, "Well let's open these downstairs with her"

"Okay" Carl shot ahead of him as he trudged out of bed.

He opened the card Carl had gotten him as he walked down the stairs. He made a mental note to decipher his five year old's handwriting later.

"Morning! Happy birthday honey!" Lori smiled from over her shoulder. She was stood at the stove making the god awful pancakes Rick and Carl hated.

He walked up behind her and kissed her on the cheek, "Thank you"

"You got quite a few cards waiting for you there"

Rick looked at the breakfast table and nodded, "Nice, I bet half of them are just bills hidden in nice envelopes"

Lori shook her head as she laughed, "Oh stop"

He sat down beside Carl a trend opened his son's present to him. It was a tie with a little police officer on it. He smirked as he rubbed calls head, "Why thank you son, I'm gonna wear this tonight"

Carl grinned at his father before continuing to bang his action figures together.

He enjoyed his day with his family, though he usually did anyway. He and Lori always got along, they rarely ever fought with each other and pretty much agreed on everything. He had began to appreciate her more and more over the years.

After having dinner with his friends and collecting a sleeping Carl from his parents, they headed home. He put Carl upstairs in his bed and headed back down into the kitchen for a glass of water, while a slightly tipsy Lori got ready for bed.

He stood leaning over the sink in the dark kitchen, looking at the bright moon. He turned his head towards the entrance of the kitchen when he heard Lori stumbling around upstairs. He smirked and was about to turn back to the window when his eyes caught the mail on the table.

He scooped it up and sifted through it, putting the envelopes that felt like they had cards in them to one side. One card was from his insurance company, which he frowned at. Another was from a family member who he wasn't quite sure he had ever seen, but they would send cards back and forth to each other all year around.

The third envelope looked strange. It was purple with just his name on it. No stamp or address. He frowned as he opened it. The card had a picture of wildflowers on it. He winced as he studied it the cover, then opened it up. There were two twenty dollar bills in it and he moved them to read the message,

 _Happy birthday,_

 _It's been a while but_

 _I'm a woman of my word,_

 _Dinner's on me._

 _Have fun golden boy_

 _xoxo_

.. **END**..


	5. Chapter 5

Next:

 **Dandelions.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 1:

"I swear, I don't know who Bruce fucked to get this job, but maybe I need to fuck 'em too because clearly, there just letting anybody pick whatever position they want"

Rick looked up from the police report, his brow furrowing as he caught the tail end of his friends rant, "What happened?"

Shane slammed his mug on his desk, "That idiot almost tasered an old woman! Ended up hitting her car door instead"

Rick stared at Shane, "What?"

"Yep. I don't even know why the hell he had it out in the first place! You know if that had caught her, she'd have a damn heart attack"

Rick didn't want to laugh, but it slipped out anyway.

"You're wrong for that" Shane shook his head as he laughed.

"I am" Rick admitted, putting down the pieces of paper on his desk as watched as the department's secretary make her way over to his desk.

"Here's your coffee and this just came in from the D.A's office"

"You just got that?"

"Yeah, John just dropped by-"

Rick put down the brown envelope and sprinted from his desk to catch the mailman. He was hoping to catch him while he was at work. He left the building and saw the other man just about to cross the street.

"John!"

The mailman turned and waved as Rick continued his sprint across the parking lot to get to him.

"Morning deputy, everythan' alright?" John adjusted his satchel as he looked Rick over.

"Hey John, I just wanted to ask you somethan'" Rick took a step back and rested his hands at his sides, "You remember delivering a letter with just my name on to my house last week?"

"Just your name on?..." John frowned, his eyes searching either side of Rick as he thought.

"Yeah, it was a purple envelope-"

"Oh! Yes I do, I do- Why? Somethan' wrong with it?" John raised his eyebrows in worry.

"No, it was fine, I just wanted to ask you how you got it?"

John gave a nod of relief, "Oh, a lady stopped me, asked me if I could deliver it to your house, said she was an old friend"

Rick slowly inhaled, "When and where was this exactly?"

"At that motel on Maple Street, I think it was on the Friday?" John frowned again, before nodding, "Yeah it was last Friday"

Rick bit his lip as he thought of his next question, "Did it look like she was staying there?"

"I think so. I can't remember seeing her with any bags or anythan'... Everythan' alright?"

"Yeah everythan's fine... just wanted to thank her but I don't have her number anymore", He wasn't completely lying.

"Oh okay, well I'm sorry I couldn't offer anythan' else, deputy"

"No you did, thank you very much John" Rick gave the man a pat on the arm.

"No problem" John smiled as he began to turn back to the street.

He waved at him before walking away, a tornado of questions swirling through his mind.

Before he received a birthday card from Michonne, he refused to think about her. He couldn't. He knew if he did, he'd lose himself in his thoughts. He suppressed his memories of her. He just didn't want to torture himself worrying about her. The first few months after she left were the hardest, and it took a lot for him to get back to his usual self and to train his brain to not to think about her. But then he got the birthday card, and it all fell apart within seconds.

He had thought about her almost constantly since his birthday, so much so he felt like he was giving himself a headache. He was also tackled with guilt for it. He couldn't believe how easy it was for him to forget about his wife. Though he wasn't cheating, he felt as if he was. He was desperate to see Michonne, and he knew that's not how a married man should behave, but he couldn't help himself. He hadn't even told Shane because he was so ashamed.

He sat watching the clock for most of his day at work. He planned to head straight over to the motel as soon as he got off. He wondered if she was still there. He hoped she was. He excited himself so much at the thought that as soon as his shift ended he was gone. He knew his colleagues were shocked, as usually he would stick around to get as much of his work done, but he had other plans.

"Deputy Grimes! What can I do for you here?"

"Good afternoon Morales" Rick took off his hat as he approached the front desk, "I was hoping if I could get some information about someone who was staying here last Friday?"

Morales gave him a nod, "Yes sure"

"A woman, her name's Michonne Turner?"

Morales raised his finger to Rick as he stepped over to his computer. He clicked around a few times, before nodding, "Yes, she was here"

"How long for?" Rick rested his hands on the desk, feeling disappointment flood him.

"Two nights, left Saturday morning"

He nodded as he looked behind Morales at the room keys on the wall, "Did she say anythan' about where she was heading?"

"Oh I wasn't here, I was away for the week, let me ask my wife" The man stepped back to an open door and called, "Miranda!"

"What?!" The woman called from close by.

"Can you come out here please, the deputy wants to talk!"

There was silence, then Rick heard footsteps as she came in to view. The woman dried her hands as she joined her husband's side, "Good afternoon deputy"

"Good afternoon Miranda" Rick gave her a nod.

"He wants to know about a guest, Mrs Turner, she was here last week-" Morales informed his wife.

"Oh yes! Oh she's not in trouble is she?" Miranda looked at Rick with pure concern.

"No no, not at all" Rick reassured, "I just wanted to know if she said anythan' about where she was heading?"

Miranda relaxed, "Oh good… yes, she said she was going into the city?"

Rick nodded, then scratched his brow with his thumb, "Atlanta?"

"Yes, she told me she wanted to give birth there"

Rick paused his movements, "Give birth? She's pregnant?"

Miranda nodded slowly as she watched Rick strangely, "Yes, she said she was seven months I think"

His hand dropped to the counter again as his mind raced, "Okay, alright… well thank you for-"

"Oh, do you think you'll be seeing her anytime soon?" Miranda raised her hand to stop him, "She left her phone in her room and we don't have a way of getting in contact with her"

Rick thought quickly, "Yeah sure I'll take it for her"

Miranda nodded and disappeared in the back for a moment, then returning with the phone in her hand. She held it out to Rick.

"If by any chance she comes back here for it, tell her it's over at the police department" He lied. He had no intention of letting go of the device.

"Alright, we will" Morales nodded.

"And thank you for your help, I appreciate that" He took his hat from the counter.

"No problem, say hi to your family for me" Miranda smiled as she gave him a small wave.

Rick's stomach dropped, "I will, y'all have a good evening"

So many thoughts were running through his head as he walked back to his squad car. The main one being she was pregnant and he didn't know how he felt about that. On the one hand he was happy for her but on the other he was even more worried for her. She was on her own and pregnant. He wondered about the father, and why she chose to go to Atlanta to have her baby.

He looked at the phone in his hand as he sat in the driver's seat. He turned the screen on and stared at it for a few moments. She had twenty-four missed calls and thirteen messages. Her background picture was one of Andrea, blowing out a candle on a cupcake and wearing a party hat. A wave of sadness washed over him as his mind retrieved the memory of her best friend. He'd sometimes think of Andrea when he was at the bar. He'd remember the two of them laughing and joking, arms linked as they strolled down the street. He sadly remembered their argument like it was yesterday. The way they screamed at each other with nothing but raw emotion. He snapped his eyes closed at the memory, tucking it away again.

He didn't feel comfortable going through her phone, though he was tempted to. He just wanted to know what she'd been doing, if she was planning to go somewhere specific. He put it in his pocket and turned the key in the ignition, deciding against it for now.

"Dad!"

"Hey there buddy"

He picked up Carl after taking off his windbreaker, "How was school?"

"I made a plane!"

"Oh really? You bring it home?"

"Yeah!" Carl began to wiggle out of his arms. Rick helped him down before he dropped and watched him sprint to the living room to retrieve it. He came back with the paper plane with scribbles all over it.

"Wow! Look at that! You make all by yourself?"

Carl nodded, pleased with himself.

"Well that's great! You look after it okay? You don't want to rip it or anythan'" Rick gave his son's shoulder a squeeze as they walked to the kitchen.

Lori was walking around the kitchen in the phone as she prepared dinner. Rick watched her for a moment, another pang of guilt in his stomach. He loosened his tie as he walked over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water, opening it as he leaned on the counter.

He cared for Lori, he truly did, but he was battling with himself. On the one hand, he didn't want to hurt her, he didn't want to upset her in anyway. But on the other, his old memories were making a return and it made him realise he never felt the way he had about Michonne towards Lori. He didn't even get a chance to date Michonne and yet here he was, pining over her years later. He always wished she'd stayed. He knew if she did, he wouldn't be with Lori.

But he didn't regret having Carl or being with Lori. They were his family. However, a large 'what if' always hung over his head with Michonne, and that was a feeling he'd never be able to shake, no matter how hard he tried to forget about her.

It was shortly after dinner that her phone rang, as he sat in the living room watching TV with Carl, while Lori was having a bath. He looked at the screen and saw the name Mike. Rick waited until it rang out before going to the home screen. Carl was too engrossed in the show to pay attention to what his father was doing. A text came through on the phone, and Rick chose to read it,

I will find you.

Rick frowned at the message, alarm bells going off in his head. He browsed through the other unopened messages, all from the same contact. The first few messages were filled with apologies, but then the tone changed, and became more sinister. All the missed calls were from him too. Rick bit the inside of his cheek as he wondered if this was the baby's father. His worry only grew for her.

Rick was at a dead end about what to do. He hoped Michonne was safe wherever she was, and he felt some ease knowing that the Mike person hadn't found her as he continued to call her. Rick waited until he was at work to charge the phone, as he didn't want to leave it around at work. He realised he would need help with the situation however, and finally told Shane.

His friend stared at him, dumbfounded, "So… she's somewhere in Atlanta, and you have her phone, and her possibly abusive ex is looking for her… and this all started from a birthday card?

Rick nodded as he rubbed the back of his neck.

He mirrored his actions, "So what's the plan here?"

"I don't know. There's nothing on her phone that could tell us where she's staying or who she might stay with" Rick leaned back in his chair.

"And the ex? Where's he?"

Rick looked shrugged, "No clue-"

Both men turned their attention to her phone that sat ringing on the desk. Rick tilted it towards him, expecting to see Mike's name again, but it was an unsaved number. He looked at Shane, who raised his eyebrows at him. Rick decided to answer.

"Hello?"

There was silence for a moment, "Uh, hi, who is this?"

Rick felt his heart skip a beat as he recognised her voice, "Michonne?"

There was silence for a moment again, then she asked, "Rick?"

He tried his best to release a steady breath, "Yeah, it's me"

He was surprised to hear a little chuckle on the end of the line, "Hey golden boy"

He was almost lost for words, "How are you?"

"I'm… good… how did you get my phone?"

He couldn't think of a lie that didn't make him sound like a stalker fast enough, "...It's a long story"

"Okay… well um… I'm in Atlanta so-"

"I know" He wanted to kick himself for reverting back to that same nervous twenty-six year old he was when he first met her, "Uh, I can come meet you somewhere?"

"You want to come all the way to here to give it back to me?" He could hear amusement in her tone, "You don't have to do-"

"It's fine, honestly it is"

She was silent for a few moments, "Alright, get a pen, I'll give you my address"

He quickly grabbed a pen and a piece of paper, "Go on?"

He quickly scribbled down her address, as Shane leaned over him, mouthing the name of the street to himself.

"Is this weekend good for you?"

He quickly thought if he could, and though he was unsure, he agreed, "Yeah, Saturday?"

"Fine by me, I'll be home"

"Alright then…"

"...So see you then"

"Bye Michonne"

"Bye Rick"

He hung up and put the phone on the table. He stared at it for a moment, trying to contain his giddiness from talking to her and his excitement at seeing her. He looked at Shane, who was staring at him with his eyebrows raised for a moment, before shaking his head and walking off to his desk.

Shane didn't need to say anything because Rick knew what he was thinking. His friend was always dubious about his marriage to Lori and he let him know that when he found out he planned to marry her. But despite all that he could tell Shane thought it was a bad idea, which meant something as Shane was a man of very few morals.

He considered his friends reservations to his plans. He could see why he would feel that way, but Rick couldn't just leave this up to anyone else. He had to see for himself, not just because he missed her, but because he wanted to make sure she was safe. He knew she'd had more pain in her life than he could understand, and he couldn't fight that primal feeling of wanting to protect her. He didn't want her to have any more hardship.

His next plan of action was figuring out what to tell Lori. He wondered if he should just tell her the truth and hoped she'd understand, but he quickly remembered a conversation he had with her about Michonne when they had just started dating. She asked if the rumours about Andrea's death was true, if Andrea had killed herself because Michonne wanted to be with him. While he didn't go into great detail about what had happened between he and Michonne, he quickly dismissed what she had heard.

He decided against telling her in the end, instead settled for a well-worn excuse used by fellow officers, "I need to follow up on a lead".

She seemed to accept it and he felt a mixture of relief and shame. He didn't know what he was expecting to happen from seeing Michonne, but he knew he'd have to take into consideration what that meant for his marriage, as well as his son. He had no intention of leaving his family, he couldn't. They were his responsibility. But he had found Michonne, and he was now stuck between a rock and a hard place.

The Saturday he left in the morning, after having breakfast with Lori and Carl. He could hardly look at his wife over the breakfast table. The night before he went straight to sleep, despite noticing her little signals that she was hoping to have some fun before bed. He couldn't bring himself to sleep with her, he would feel even more of a terrible husband than he already did.

He glanced at Michonne's phone as he drove. She was still getting numerous calls throughout the day from Mike. He was so tempted to answer the call but he chose not to, he wanted to speak to her first, find out what happened between the two of them. He hoped the other man hadn't been violent towards her. He didn't know if he could stand to hear such a thing. His stomach churned at the thought of her being with someone like him.

It was almost afternoon by the time he reached the street she told him she lived on. The houses on the street where mostly small one story homes, and the area seemed nice. He pulled up outside a house with pink shutters. He smiled as he remembered her old home, realising that was the reason she picked that one. He all of a sudden felt nervous as he walked up the garden path, but still very excited. He approached the front door and knocked, stepping back as he waited, his heart thumping in his chest.

When she opened the front door, it was if time stood still. Besides her hair being longer, she looked exactly the same. Despite the fact that she stood their smiling, her eyes held the same sadness that he remembered from the last time he saw her. She rested one hand on her hip and his gaze dropped to her bare rounded stomach, as she was wearing a tank top that barely covered it and a long flowing skirt. He didn't know why but the urge to touched her stomach shot through him.

"You made it" She stepped aside.

He slowly walked inside, his eyes never leaving hers, "I did"

She shut the door and smirked, "Are you gonna tell me how you got my phone now?"

He still couldn't lie quick enough, "Later"

She shook her head as she stepped towards him. He wasn't sure what she intended to do but he chose to wrap his arms around her, as best he could given the circumstances. He exhaled as he held her, finally feeling some peace as he inhaled her Strawberry scent.

"Congratulations"

"Thank you"

He pulled back and slid his hands down to her waist, his eyes scanning over her stomach. His hands slid over the skin, stopping on either side of her bump, a small smile tugging on the corner of his lips.

"It's a boy"

His eyebrows shot up, "Really?"

She nodded as she looked down at herself, "You have a son too"

He frowned, "How'd you know that?"

She looked up at him, "Saw your picture hanging over the bar at the cafe"

He thought about the picture. It was of the, Lori and Carl, only taken a few months before, "He's five"

She smiled, "Come tell me about him"

The house was small, with a two seater couch facing a TV in the living area, and a small breakfast table over by the kitchen area. His eyes were drawn to two tanks beside a small hallway, and he was quite surprised to see the two snakes still alive. He couldn't remember their names, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to. He was still not a fan.

He sat down beside her on the couch and handed her back her phone, "We need to talk"

She took her phone, avoiding his gaze, "Thank you"

"Who is Mike" He dived right in.

Her head snapped up to look at him, "You went through my phone?"

"He called about a ten times a day" Rick countered.

She looked back at her phone and frowned, throwing it down on the small coffee table in front of them, "He's nobody"

He studied her face, "Is he the father?"

She huffed and looked around the room, "Yeah"

He bit the inside of his cheek as he thought of how to word his next question, "Did you leave him?"

She gave a small nod.

"...Did you leave because you and the baby were in danger?"

Her eyes stopped wondering around the room, and found a spot to focus on in the corner of the room.

He took her silence as the answer he didn't want to hear. He sighed and dragged his hand over his face, "Where were you before you stopped in town?"

She sighed, "Macon"

He nodded, "Where did you meet him?"

She furrowed her brow as she shifted in her seat, turning to get more comfortable, "Tallahassee"

He watched her, his eyes falling back to her stomach. He slowly shook his head, "I don't want him anywhere near you again"

She looked at him, her eyes darting all over his face, "He doesn't know where I am"

"That's not the point. I don't want him to even have the ability to find out" His eyes never broke their focus from hers.

She pursed her lips as her gaze dropped, but she nodded.

He stared at her, drinking in the sight. He never knew how much he missed her until he tried to look somewhere else, and couldn't.

"Tell me about him"

He sighed as a smile began to form on his lips, "His name's Carl, and he's a little sponge. He loves exploring and learning about everythan', and I can't keep up with him"

She gave a small chuckle, "He sounds perfect"

"He is" He grinned at the thought of his offspring. He was able to take his eyes off her to look around the home again, "Do you still paint?"

When he didn't get an immediate response, he looked at her and saw she was staring off into space again. He wondered if she heard him, but she finally answered after the moment, "No".

He felt a fool for asking her so casually, so changed the subject, "So are you… settling?"

She sighed and looked him. He didn't know what it was about that question that made her answer him with such sadness in her voice but he kicked himself for it, "I'm… getting there"

Without thinking he took her hand in his, bringing it up to his lips and kissing her knuckles, "Alright"

She released a shaky breath as she gazed at him, "What time do you have to get back?"

Rick combed his fingers through his hair, wincing as he hadn't really give Lori a time, "Didn't really set a time-"

"But not too late" She struggled to get up but did it, "We'll go for a drive"

He smirked as he watched her, "Alright"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 2:

"Let's see how much your music taste has changed over the years"

"Not that much I think…"

She turned up the volume and sat back. He glanced over at her as he drove on to the highway.

She gasped and her eyes it up as she listened, "I love this song! You have to sing with me!"

He shook his head, "Nope. It's not just the two of us anymore"

"He won't mind" She grinned as she put her hands on her stomach, " _Can we climb this mountain, I don't know, higher now than ever before_ "

He glanced at her, enjoying the nostalgic moment.

" _We're burning down the highway skyline_ " She rubbed her bump and swayed as she sang, " _On the back of a hurricane that started turning when you were young_ "

His heart swelled as listened to her, accustomed to her questionable singing ability.

"Sing it with me Rick!" She leaned over and nudged him.

He sighed as he did, " _You don't have to drink right now, but you can dip your feet, everyone and a little while_ "

They sang along until they saw a little pit stop along the highway. Rick pulled in at Michonne's request as she complained of hunger.

"Yum, greasy truck stop food" She grinned as she walked in as he held the door open for her.

He followed her to a booth and sat opposite her.

"So, names?" He asked as he picked up a menu.

She nodded as she scanned over her own, "Andre"

His eyes darted up to her, "Andre?.. I like that"

She smirked, "Good"

"So why Atlanta?"

She looked up at him, "What do you mean?"

His knee bounced nervously, "Why Atlanta?... Did you ever consider moving back to town?"

She looked down at the menu, "I'll be fine here"

"By yourself with your baby?" He didn't want to sound harsh, but he wanted to make his point, "I don't… I don't like that"

She huffed quietly, her brow furrowing, "Yeah well... I'm used to it"

He stared at her with a mixture of sadness and frustration as he leaned forward over the table, "You don't need to be-"

"Rick, please" She rested her elbows on the table as she rubbed her temples.

He watched her for a second, before he relented, though he still felt a lump in his throat at the thought of her being alone with her child. He understood why she didn't see the problem, but he wished she could understand why he did.

They had just received their food when he felt his phone vibrate in his jean pocket. He took it out and peaked at the screen, before sliding it back in his pocket. He made a mental note to call Lori back when he was in a less distracting area.

"How long were you with him?" He watched her take a fry off his plate.

She took the smallest bite out of it, "Four years"

He winced at her, "When did it start?"

She sighed, dropping the fry, "I don't know, I still don't keep track of time like that"

He nodded as he looked down at his own plate.

"Here are your refills"

The waitress put the two glasses of lemonade on the table, smiling at the two of them, "You both excited for the little ones arrival?"

It took Rick a moment to realise what the women meant, and when he did he looked to Michonne to answer.

"We are" She flashed the woman a small smile.

"Oh that's just lovely"

When the waitress left the table, he raised his eyebrows as if he was waiting for an explanation.

"Just trying to avoid any awkward moment" She shrugged, picking up her fresh beverage.

He looked behind her for a second, then directly at her, "What made you want to send that card?"

She sipped her drink as she smirked, "I was in town and it was your birthday"

"...Did you ever find a place for.." He wondered if she understood his vague question. He only asked because he didn't see Andrea's urn when they were in her home.

Her eyes locked on the plate in front of her, glistening as tears formed in her eyes.

He reached for her hand, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"

He stopped talking when she shook her head, whipping her eyes with a napkin, "He threw her out"

Rick frowned at her, his head tilting, "He threw her out?"

She sniffed and nodded, her eyes closed as she rested her head in her hands.

Rick looked at her in disbelief as he tried to understand what kind of person throws out someone's ashes. He hadn't even seen Mike, but he knew he hated the man more than anything already.

"Come on, let's get you two home"

After paying for their meals, they left the pit stop and he drove her home in silence, though he kept hold of her hand, their fingers intertwined. He wanted to grant her some small comfort. She didn't say anything, but she held his hand just as tight as he held hers.

"Would you move back?"

He watched the side of her face as they sat back on her couch.

She sighed, her head dropping back against the couch, "Rick, how ideal would that be?"

He gave a small shrug, "You'd have someone to turn to if you need help"

She kept her eyes on the ceiling, "I have myself"

"You don't need to be alone in this Michonne"

Her brows came together, "What do you think will happen Rick? I move back, you split your time between me and your family? And no one would have a problem with that? You think your wife would be happy with that setup?"

He bit the inside of his cheek, trying to find a way to counter her argument.

"Exactly" She smirked, her gaze still at the ceiling.

He stared at her, his fingers itching to touch her, "I don't think I can go another six years without seeing you"

Her eyes slid over to him, a ghost of a smile tracing her lips, "It doesn't feel like it's been that long"

"It did to me" He admitted, his eyes dropping to her stomach, "I don't want him to be old enough to shake my hand the next time I see you either"

She laughed as she rested her hands on her bump, "I promise it won't be that long. You know where I am… It didn't take much for me to find you anyway-"

"I meant what I said Michonne. If you need help then call me. You have my cell and my work number"

She smiled at him, "Fine… how did you get my phone?"

He could have groaned, "I… spoke to the mailman… he told me where he met you… went by and they gave it to me"

Her smile grew even wider.

"Yeah. You can tease me about that another time"

"You're still a creep" She chuckled as she rested her hand on his.

"Thanks… I think"

Both their smiles fell when they noticed her phone ringing on the table. Rick's eyes darted to her as she sat forward and picked it up. He knew he it was.

"Give it to me" He instructed with his hand out.

She frowned at him.

"I know what I'm doing alright?"

She looked from him to the phone, still frowning but handed it to him.

"Hello?"

The person didn't reply immediately, "Who's this?"

"This is Sheriff Gates from the Kingsville police department, who's this I'm speaking too?"

Michonne looked at him with wide eyes.

"Mike, this is my girlfriend's phone, she in trouble?"

Rick snarled, "This phone was handed in, found near our building, no one's come in to claim it yet"

"In Kingsville?"

"Yep, Kingsville, Texas"

The other man was silent for a moment, "Alright. Thank you officer"

"No problem" He hung up and handed the phone back to her, "That should stop him calling for a while. But block him or get a new number"

She sighed, "I will"

Rick looked at his watch and groaned, "I should get going"

She nodded, her eyes on his watch, "Where does she think you are?"

He slowly stood from the couch, "Following a lead… which is technically true… I was… just not for work"

She shook her head at him, taking his hand as he helped her up, "And you want me to move back to town, when you couldn't even tell her you came up here to see me?"

He bit the inside of cheek as he thought about her words and without realising, he reached up and cupped her jaw with the palm of his hand. She was warm, soft, exactly how he remembered. His thumb stroked her cheek. She reached up, resting her hand on his wrist.

"Rick…"

"I know" His voice was low, his eyes drinking in the sight of her.

It was if his body had a mind of its own as he stepped closer, closing the gap between the two of them. His lips pressed against hers, and his thoughts came to an abrupt halt. He didn't want to think about anything else as he parted her lips with his tongue. He didn't want to have a conscience as he enjoyed her taste again. He just wanted her.

She ran her fingers through his hair as they reacquainted themselves intimately. He longed to be inside her again, to watch her shatter beneath him as she'd done the last time they were together, even though he didn't like that memory, as he remembered waking up the next morning to an empty bed.

He helped her pull her top over her head before making quick work of her bra. He was so desperate to be close to her again, to be intimate with her again. He all but ripped his t-shirt off his own body as she unbuttoned his jeans, kissing along his chest.

Once he was free from his denim and boxers he sat down on the couch, pulling off her skirt and underwear in one go. She straddled him, and he sat back, watching her swallow his length. His eyes rolled back as they snapped shut, his hands gripping her hips. She rested both hands on the back of the couch, steadying herself as she slowly rode him.

He basked in the feeling of her, refusing to accept that the moment will have to end. His hands massaged from her hips to her thighs as she began to bounce on him. His eyes fell on her breasts, which were considerably fuller, and to his surprise, still pierced. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her forward, latching on to her nipple, causing her to release a sensual cry. It only encouraged him more, his teeth gently biting on it while his tongue brushed back and forth over the tip. One of her hands found the back of his neck as her movements faltered.

He removed his mouth from her chest and lifted them both from the couch, mindful not to hold her too tight, and not to withdraw himself. He laid her down gingerly before he resting his weight on his hands, his eyes scanning over her torso, but stopping at her stomach. He shifted, so he had a free hand to stroke her side, admiring her new form. He had never felt such paternal feelings towards any other, beside his own, but he was already so interested in her unborn child.

He leaned forward and kissed her again, before whispering against her lips, "I'm still so crazy about you"

Her hands cupped his face as her eyes darted all over him.

He began moving within her again, and little moans rolled from her lips. He returned his full weight to his hands, allowing himself a full view as he rocked into her. He wanted the memory burned in his mind with the other times they had that slept together. He realised in that moment how much he truly did care for her, as he cherished every moment they spent together, the good and the bad. He fell in love with her all those years ago and he was falling in love with her all over again.

She gripped his forearms, and he knew she was approaching her orgasm, which he was grateful for. He leaned down, resting his forehead against hers as he pumped in and out of her. Her cries grew louder as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Her walls contracted, forcing his length to jerk as they both found their release. He groaned as he emptied himself inside her, his head dropping to her shoulder, as her panting tickled him. Nothing else mattered in that moment, as he didn't allow himself to think about anything else.

They dressed in silence before she walked him to the door. He didn't want to leave her so soon, but he knew he had to.

"Rick…"

"I know"

She didn't have to say anything. He did know, but he wasn't ready to discuss the elephant in the room, or more accurately, the wedding ring on his finger.

"Call me okay? Even if you just want to talk, just… call"

He kissed her one last time before he left, and it was only when he sat in his car, did he allow his conscience to make an appearance.

He used his drive home to reprimand himself for cheating on his wife. Truth be told, he didn't regret the act in the slightest, but he wished it was under better circumstances. He felt as if his skin was red from Michonne's touch. He could still faintly smell her on him, he could almost mimic the dance her tongue made with his.

Guilt quickly stopped the blood from rushing back to his member at the thought of her.

He questioned what he would do next. He didn't want to keep his unfaithfulness from her, however he didn't want to hurt her either. He'd feel awful for it. He couldn't bear the thought of breaking up his little family, most importantly for his son's sake, but seeing Michonne left him up in the air about everything.

"Dad!"

"Hey son"

Rick picked up Carl and kissed his forehead. His son was already dressed for bed and he was glad to have caught him before he went to sleep.

"Can you read to me?"

"Of course I can. Let's find a good book"

He wasn't sure where Lori was, but he didn't look for her. He took his son up to his room, and read as many books as he could to get him to sleep. He felt horrible for spending most of the day away from Carl to go and see Michonne. In an ideal world he could take Carl with him to meet her and let her meet him, but he knew he had already betrayed Lori enough, so he kept those fantasies at the back of his mind.

"How'd it go today?"

Lori sat brushing her hair at her vanity table in their bedroom. He dried his hair with a towel as he walked over to his dresser, fresh from the shower.

"Pretty good…" He lied, then choosing to change the subject, "What did you do today?"

"Just went into town, then had lunch with our moms"

He would have groaned at the mention of his own mother. His relationship with both his parents soured greatly over the years, more specifically his mother. She worked to the bone to squash all rumours about he and Michonne all those years ago, and even went the extra mile to ignore his depressed state after she left. While they were never that close before hand, it definitely deepened the wedge between them.

"Carl must have enjoyed that" Rick insisted as he pulled on his pyjama pants.

"Yeah he did…" Lori put her brush down and turned towards him, "You know your mother asked for you today"

He rolled his eyes as he climbed into bed, "I bet she did"

His situation wasn't made any easier with how close Lori was with his mother. He always knew Lori would grow up to be just like the women from the older generation in the town. They were mostly quite judgemental, all enjoyed to gossip and the word divorce was almost considered a swear word, and they treated other divorced women like the plague. Any talk of marital problems was enough to have them all avoid the affected. It was a side of Lori he didn't enjoy seeing whenever she attempted to share her fill for the day. However, he knew that she, like his mother, would hate to be the one being talked about.

He managed to get away with not looking at Lori that night. It wasn't easy, as she stayed up talking to him for a while, but he did it. He quickly realised he needed to talk to someone, that someone being Shane.

When his friend came by to take Carl to the park with him the next day, he seized the opportunity while his son did laps on the jungle gym.

"I knew it. I knew somethan' would happen. I just knew it man", Shane shook his head as he rubbed the back of his neck, "What the hell are you gonna do?"

"I wish I knew. I honestly wish I do" Rick sighed, his eyes on Carl as he played.

"After all these years…" Shane frowned as he looked at the ground, "What did she do with…"

Rick closed his eyes and exhaled, "Her ex threw her ashes out"

Shane stared at him with disbelief.

"I don't know when but… she still cried about it"

His friends face finally crumbled in anger, "What kind of sick son of a bitch does that?"

"Same sick son of a bitch that hits his woman"

Shane's eyes widened a fraction, "So he does? She told you?"

"Yeah" Rick strained, trying to focus on the fact that she's safer now, "That's why she's running this time"

"Jeez, man" He dragged his hand over his face, "So what's… what now?"

"I just wanna keep an eye on her… make sure her and the baby are alright.." His eyes found Carl again, "But… I have to tell Lori… I can't keep this from her"

Shane's eyes widened again, "You sure you want to do that? I mean… I get it but, you won't be able to keep much of an eye on Michonne if you do that... She'll be on you whenever you leave the room"

Rick thought about his friends point.

"...You can't have your wife and kid in one town and then be trying to look after her and her kid in another… even I know that ain't right… and I'm a damn dog"

Rick sighed as he nodded in agreement, "You're right. I know you're right, I know the right thing would be to leave Michonne alone and just go on with my life but… I just…"

"You care about her. I know you do, you cared about her even when she weren't here… I saw you on your damn wedding day. You were looking at Lori like you were hoping that she turned in to her" Shane shook his head at the memory, "The way I look at it, if you want Michonne that much, then you know what to do with Lori, but if you feel like you can't do that then… you have to keep away from her…"

Rick thought over his friend's advice as he battled with himself. A part of him wanted to drop everything to be with Michonne, to finally have that chance at making something happen between the two of them. He wanted to look after her, to treat her how he felt she deserved to be treated. Create more memories with her.

But the other part of him couldn't leave Lori. Even if he was certain he wasn't in love with her, she was still his wife and the mother of his child, he felt like he had a duty to stay with her, for their son's sake. He didn't want to tear his family apart. He wished he could figure a way to handle everything without hurting anyone, but he knew it was too late for that.

"I want to get some practise cakes made before the county fair"

Rick nodded as he watched his wife take out her baking utensils, "Yeah?"

"Yeah. It would be great if I won this year" She sighed as she moved around the kitchen, "Patricia can't win every year. And I'm sure her cake last year was store bought"

Rick nodded, though he wasn't actually paying attention to her words.

"You won't be working that weekend, will you?"

He stopped nodding to shrug, "Depends, they might need me on duty"

"It would be nice if we can all go together" Lori emptied some flour into the bowl, "Have my boys cheering me on if I win"

Rick tried to hide his discomfort with the turn of the conversation, "Yeah, that would be nice"

"You remember the first fair we went to together?"

He did, but not for the right reasons, "Yeah I do"

She chuckled as she cracked an egg, "I was so nervous, but It was a nice day out… until you left me stranded with our parents..."

He winced at the memory, "Oh yeah…"

"Where did you go? I don't think you ever told me?"

He pushed off the counter as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I think I was out with Shane that night… probably was anyway"

"The two of you" She shook her head, "Always at the bar on the weekends"

"Yeah…"

She stopped whisking and looking at him, "Do you remember that girl… and her friend that died there?"

He bit the inside of his cheek as he nodded.

"Whatever happened with her? You never did tell me that..."

He kept his gaze around the kitchen as he prepared to mask the truth, "We just hung out a few times"

She began whisking again, "I remember they weren't around for long but they caused quite the stir when they were"

He knew she was just talking generally, but his conscience made him think otherwise.

"Oh shoot, where did I put the vanilla-"

"I'm gonna go lay down" He announced as he headed out the kitchen. He didn't want to stick around while she recalled old information, and asked new questions. While it may have seemed like the perfect opportunity for him to come clean on his whereabouts the previous weekend, he was still so unsure on how he was going to fix the mess he created.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 3:

"Great job today ladies! See you all next week!"

Michonne waved at prenatal yoga instructor as she left her class. She didn't think she'd enjoy it initially when the nurse told her about it, but it did seem to have a calming effect, and she needed it.

Ever since her visit from Rick, he had been on her mind almost every second of the day, for numerous reasons. The first being, she discovered she had missed him more than she knew. Spending the afternoon with him was something she enjoyed beyond belief, as it had been so long since she was in the presence of someone she truly cared about.

The second reason was that she'd slept with him, and it was a bittersweet moment for her. The bitter part being, he was married. She knew she should have pushed him away when he kissed her, but getting away from him was the furthest thing from her mind. She missed being intimate with someone, without feeling like she had to be. With Mike, she'd had sex with him because he wanted them to. She hadn't wanted him in that way in a long time, so she found herself going through the motions, lying beneath him until he finished. But with Rick it was a welcomed difference.

The third reason was another bittersweet moment for her, as she felt guilt, not only for sleeping with him while he was married, but also for the fact that he would always remind her of Andrea. He was her reminder of her best friend, and what tore them apart before she died. She felt as though she was betraying her all over again, and while some may have thought it was a crazy notion, it weighed heavily on her chest whenever her friend crossed her mind, and it was that reason that kept her from contacting him.

She chose to walk home that afternoon as it was a lovely day however, she frowned when she saw a police car sat outside her home. She eyed it as she slowly began to walk up her drive. A tall black male got out of the vehicle and raised his hand to her.

"Mrs Turner?" He asked as he approached her cautiously.

She looked around before nodding.

"Hey there, I'm officer Williams. Tyrese Williams…" His eyes darted to her home, "Do you mind if we have a quick talk? On your porch if that's comfortable for you?"

She nodded again and began walking over to her house, stopping in front of the door.

"My sister is a deputy down in Kings County… she called me, and I spoke to Officer Grimes"

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"He's worried, said he hadn't heard from you in a few weeks… So he asked if I could check to see if you're alright?"

"He told you about my ex?"

Tyrese reluctantly nodded.

She sighed, adjusting her yoga mat under her arm.

"Mrs Turner, I've worked with a lot of cases, similar to yours, and I commend you for leaving him, I know it's not an easy thing to do, a lot of women feel trapped… they don't know who to turn to… but you found your way out and you've found a safe place for you and your baby… let us help you keep the two of you safe"

She shifted from foot to foot as she absorbed his words, "Thank you…"

"Don't mention it" He reached into his pocket and took out a card, "Add this to your contacts, it's my work and my cell. If you ever need anything then give me a call"

She took the card and nodded, "Okay, thanks... again"

"No problem. You have a good evening Mrs Turner" He gave her a wave as he made his way back down the drive.

She waved back before she went into her home. A part of her knew she shouldn't have been surprised that Rick sent someone to check on her, though she was surprised he didn't come down himself. She had something to eat and took a bath before she laid down on her bed to finally called him.

"Hey… hold on a sec", She heard a few movements on the phone, before what sounded like a door closing, before he spoke again, "Sorry about that, how are you?"

"It's fine… and I'm fine… thanks. Got a visitor from an officer today"

"Well I haven't heard from you for a while-"

"It's been three weeks, Rick. Isn't that a good sign that I haven't called?"

"...Has he called you?"

"No, not since you spoke to him"

"Good. Hopefully he's in Texas"

She couldn't help but chuckle at his joke, "Nice…"

"How's the baby doing?"

She instinctively touched her stomach, "He's doing fine… not long to go now"

"Do you need anything?"

She smiled, "No Rick, I'm fine… you don't have to-"

"I want to though"

She looked around her bedroom as she tried to find the right words, "I'm sorry for sending that card"

"Why?"

"Because, I feel like I've just popped back into your life and made things…. Difficult"

He was silent for a moment, and she knew he was probably pursing his lips and staring at something insignificant as he thought about what to say, "No… I think I would have always been looking for you anyway…"

Her heart sighed at his admission, "...Where are you?"

"In my car. Just got home from work"

"Are we going to talk about…"

He huffed down the line, "Yeah… I told her"

Her eyes widened, "Really?"

"Yeah, she's… she's acting as if I didn't tell her anythan' at all...like I made it up or somethan'"

Her brow furrowed as she looked around her room, "Oh…"

"Yeah…"

She shifted uncomfortably, "You should probably go inside"

"Yeah… Carl's probably waiting for me with a mountain of books to read"

She smirked, "Don't keep him waiting then"

"I won't… can you at least-"

"I will. I promise this time"

"Alright, goodnight"

"Bye"

She couldn't shake the feeling that she should stay away from him. She didn't expect him to find her, or her phone, and now she was questioning if it was all worth it. While she didn't expect him to leave his wife for her, in fact she didn't expect anything from him at all, she just didn't want to be the reason his family fell apart, though, she knew it was too late for her to think that, especially now he had told his wife.

She tried to continue on with her new life in Atlanta, keeping Rick at the back of her mind. She had never been the type of person to settle down and have, what was considered, a normal life, but she wanted that for her son. She wanted him to have a home and stability, things she never had growing up. It wasn't going to be easy for her, as she was used to just packing up and leaving whenever she felt like it, but she was determined to make it work for her baby.

She spent most of her time turning her house into a home; painting, buying pictures and ornaments, furniture for the baby. She was content in her own little world with just her bump for company. While she would never admit it out loud, she was nervous about being a single parent. The parental figures she had I'm her life as a child all fell below par, so she Andrea had taken to looking after each other. She was hell bent on being a better mother than her own.

Mike initially seemed like he would make a good father, when they had started dating. She fell in love with him quickly, as he loved to take care of her, loved to have her with him day and night. She couldn't pinpoint when it all changed between the two of them, but soon enough, his caring turned to controlling, and she had to be with him, no matter what. When the opportunity rose for her to leave him, she left, and never looked back.

"Hey, you go to Jenny's yoga class right?"

Michonne looked up from her phone to see a younger pregnant woman standing in front of her, "Yeah, I do"

"I thought so! The names Tara", Tara held out her hand to her.

"Michonne", She shook her hand, before watching her pull up a seat in front of her.

"Looks like we're the only two single moms in the group" Tara winced, "I haven't seen you come with anyone either…"

She nodded, "Yep, going it alone"

"Same. My daughters dad left to go on tour" She rolled her eyes, "He plays in a band and their trying to make it big"

Michonne raised her eyebrows, "Oh. Sorry about that"

"Nah, it's alright. I live with my sister and my niece...it's not that bad" She shrugged, "What about you?"

"Just me" Michonne shrugged also, "It's not that bad either"

Tara looked around awkwardly, then nodded, "Well I guess we're not the kind of people you want at a party"

Michonne gave a little chuckle, "We'll have our own"

Tara smiled, "That's the spirit!"

She sat in the coffee shop talking with Tara for most of the afternoon. She came to enjoy the other woman's company, and found that they had a lot in common. Making friends wasn't something she was very good at, as she and Andrea had often kept to themselves, and the few friends she did make when before she met Mike, all disappeared soon after, but she was at a point in her life where she was turning a new corner, and she was open to trying new things.

That night she was drifting off to sleep when she heard rattling that echoed through the house. She sat up, and looked at her snake tanks, wondering if it was one of them that had somehow made the noise. She frowned in to the moon lit room as she listened. She heard the noise again, and this time she slowly crept out of bed, grabbing a crowbar she hid under the bottom end of her mattress. She snuck out her room and looked around the living area, but nothing was amiss, and she couldn't see anything to have caused that noise from inside her home, until she heard the sound again and saw it was coming from the front door.

Panic set in. She spun on her heel and skipped back into her bedroom, quietly closing the door behind her. Once she grabbed her phone from her nightstand, she sat in front of the door and called Tyrese. She whispered her way through the call, in and bid to not alert whoever was trying to break into her home. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, and she had convinced herself that Mike had found her. He almost did before she got to Kings County, and that was the only reason she went to the small town, as she knew he didn't know anything about it.

By the time Tyrese had turned up, she hadn't heard anything else for a while, and she hoped it was just failed attempt at a robbery, but she knew chances were slim.

"You didn't see anyone?"

She shook her head, "No"

Tyrese looked back down at the front door latch, "If looks like they tried to use something, but you have a good lock going on here… is there someone you can stay with for the night?"

She shook her head again, "No"

He straightened up and nodded, "Alright, uh, we'll have someone sit out front for the rest of the night… we'll be in the area if anything else happens okay? So just give me a call"

It was almost impossible for her to go back to sleep that night. And the next. All she could think about was Mike finding her. She went back to driving everywhere, as she didn't feel safe to walk like she had been doing. Being on high alert constantly was not only physically tiring but emotionally draining. She didn't know what Mike would do if he saw her, but she didn't want to find out.

A familiar feeling was rising in her. As much as she wanted a home for her son, she didn't feel safe anymore, and she questioned how good of an idea it was for her to settle in Atlanta. While she was considering it, she knew it wouldn't be as easy for her, now she was heavily pregnant and she didn't have only a few things to travel with anymore, so the option to just vanish wasn't a likely one.

"My sister told me there's a county fair in a neat little town not far from here, she was going to take my niece but she's sick"

Michonne looked up from her tea to Tara, "Kings County?"

Tara's eyes lit up, "Yeah, you know it?"

She nodded as she twirled her spoon around her mug, "Yeah"

"Do you wanna go?" Tara raised her hand to look at her watch, "It's like an hour drive right? We'll get there by two if we leave now"

Michonne hoped she didn't look as awkward as she felt, "Uh, two pregnant women in a hour long car ride?"

"We can pull over and find a bush if one of us needs the bathroom", Tara joked, "Come on, it might be fun! They probably have little contests and everything"

Michonne's eyes darted around the coffee shop for a moment, as if she was looking for another reason to dismiss the idea, but she didn't have one, and as much as she was enjoying Tara's company, she wasn't going to divulge the real reason she was sceptical about going.

"Alright, let's go"

It was markedly easier for her to sneak around the town when she had stayed there weeks before hand, as she didn't go out during the busier times, and anyone who did see her, either didn't recognise her or know her. However she didn't have that advantage for her third visit.

She hoped that residents didn't take the fair as seriously as they did when she had first went, but even she knew she was reaching with that thought. It was an occasion that the whole town seemed to look forward to, and everyone was sure to be in attendance, she didn't want to run the risk of bumping into Rick and his family. Not only because they had slept together, but because she had always wondered what would have happened between the two of them if she had stayed in the town with him.

For the first few months after she saw him, she didn't allow herself to think that way. She was convinced that no good would come from her staying with him. But as time drew on, she thought about it more and more. Nights when she and Mike would have considerably horrible fights, she would lay awake and question if she should have given the two of them a chance. She came across the temptation to contact him many times, but the guilt she felt for Andrea would often draw her away from the idea.

"My niece would have loved this. I need to get her a bear or something"

Michonne eyes scanned around the sea of faces as they walked through the fair, only half listening to Tara.

"Are you hungry? Because I am. I really am"

She smiled and slid her eyes over to Tara, "What do you want?"

Tara's eyes darted all around the stalls, then lit up when she found her prey, "Cake!"

"Let's get some cake then"

"They better not be handing out little slices either" Tara scoffed.

"Let's hope not"

They found the stand where a dozen cakes covered the table. Michonne aimlessly looked over them all, as she wasn't particularly in the mood for the baked goods, while Tara quickly made her order.

"Oh my god, this is so good!" Tara covered her mouth with her free hand as she spoke.

"Glad you like it"

Michonne turned her head to the woman on the other side of Tara, and instantly felt nauseous, as she recognised her as Rick's wife. She looked just like the picture Michonne had saw her, she was even wearing the same blue sun dress. His wife's eyes widened slightly, as if she also recognised her.

"You…", Lori breathed, looking Michonne from head to toe, then stopping on her stomach.

Michonne knew she was in the wrong for what she did, she would never deny that, but she couldn't help but feel a little defensive when she saw the other woman.

"Mom! Look what uncle Shane got me!"

Michonne eyes trailed down to the little boy that joined his mother's side. Her heart melted at the sight of him, as he was a mirror image of his father. Her eyes darted up to the male that joined them, and he gave her the same look Rick's wife had.

"Well, look at you" Shane smiled, though his eyes gave a more panicked expression.

"Hey, Shane" Michonne gave him a small wave.

His eyes quickly glanced at Rick's wife as he stepped closer to her, "How's thangs?"

His rapid eye movements and the question he asked let her know that Rick had told him everything, but she still tried to behave as casually as she could.

"Things are good" She lied.

He nodded, his eyes dropping to her stomach then back up again, "That's good to know…"

An awkward silence ensued. Rick's wife's eyes never left Michonne, while she kept her eyes on Shane, and Tara looked at them all strangely.

"Well we're gonna-"

"Yeah, yep, so are we" Shane nodded as he turned back to Carl and his mother.

"It was nice-"

"Yep. Yeah, same to you" Shane gave them both a little wave.

Michonne cupped Tara's elbow, urging her to move. She hated how the encounter made her feel; seeing his wife and children in person cemented the fact that it was all real. While she didn't feel good about sleeping with Rick beforehand, it was easier when she just saw them as two people in a picture. Now she had effectively met his significant other, the guilt in the pit of her stomach grew.

Tara's questions about the strange interaction were answered vaguely. Instead she chose to distract her new friend, and herself, by focusing on everything else at the fair.

She and Tara ate, looked at all the little arts and crafts that were on sale, and even watched a few contests on the stage. She remembered doing all the same thing as with Andrea, despite the two of them finding the whole thing ridiculous back then, they still enjoyed themselves.

"Ugh, I could never get sick of hot dogs" Tara sighed as she whipped her mouth.

Michonne toyed with the grass between her fingers, "I could never get enough of candy apples"

"Oh my god, yes! I remember-"

"Michonne?"

The familiar voice prompted her to look over I'm the direction it came from. Her heart sank at the sight of Mike, who was only a few feet away from them, his eyes on her stomach. She couldn't move. She couldn't see anyone else but him.

"Can we talk please?"

She stared at him. She knew the day would come soon enough, as she'd been running from him for so long, and he was determined to catch her.

"How did you find-"

"Please?"

"Uh… I can give you guys a minute?" Tara offered as she slowly shifted to stand, but Michonne grabbed hold of her wrist.

"Michonne please-"

"No" She finally spat, "I don't want to talk to you alone"

His eyes pleaded with her, "That's fine, but please, can you just hear me out?"

She glared at him as she too stood up, with Tara's aid.

"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant? When I found out, I was-"

"Ashamed?" She prompted.

His mask was starting to slip as he looked at her, "We can work this out, we have to for our baby, Michonne"

She held her stomach.

"I said some things I shouldn't have said, done some things I shouldn't have done, and you have too"

She frowned at him.

"But please, you don't want our baby to grow up the way you did, I know you don't, so let's just go-"

"I'm not going anywhere with you"

His eyes darkened, "Michonne-"

"She said she's not going anywhere with you" Tara reinforced.

He snarled at her new friend, throwing away his calm and apologetic approach, "Mind your fucking business"

"No!" insisted, holding Michonne's hand.

"This doesn't have anything to do with you" Mike took a step towards them, "This is between me and my girlfriend-"

"I'm not your girlfriend anymore Mike" Michonne frowned at him, "I don't want to be with you anymore! That's why I left!"

His face registered nothing but confusion, "Excuse me?"

"I don't want to-"

Mike grabbed her arm and swung her around, attempting to march her away from the fair.

"Hey!" Tara yelled as she tried to pull him off her, but he shoved her away from them.

"Mike get off me!" Michonne called as she tried to pull away from him but his grip was strong, and she had to watch her step as she didn't want to fall.

"You think you can just leave? What did I tell you Michonne?" He hissed at her in a sinister tone, "I will always find you"

"Mike stop your hurting me!"

"I saw you in your little house, I saw that cop come over" He spat viciously in her ear, "How'd he get over so fast? Are you fucking him?"

"Get off me-"

"Who the fuck answered your phone? Who was it?!"

"Mike I'm going to fall-"

"It weren't the cop, I know it wasn't the cop, it sounded like one of these god damn hicks"

They reached the sidewalk, and he led her to a black car, parked not far from her own. She attempted to fight him off one last time but he shoved her in the passenger side, locking the door before he walked around the car. She looked around them, hoping someone saw the struggle between the two and called the police.

"After everything I've done for you Michonne" He sighed as he started the car, his eyes bulging with anger, "You take my baby and you leave"

She cursed in her mind when she realised she left her bag in the park.

"Who was it that answered your phone?" He demanded once he pulled into the street.

"Where are you taking me?" She was panicked as he drove a little too quickly for her liking.

"Who was it Michonne?!" He barked at her.

"No one you know! Now we're are you taking me?"

"Tell me now! Who the hell was it Michonne!" He took one hand off the steering wheel and grabbed a handful of her locks in her hand, his attention directed purely on her, "Did you fuck him?!"

"Get off of me!" She screamed at him as she tried to pull away from him, "Mike the road!"

"Answer me-"

The last thing she heard was the sound of a horn, before her body slammed forward and everything went black.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 4:

"I saw your face when that girl ran over to you. I saw how you reacted when Shane said her name. You had that same look when Carl had his first reaction to peanuts... Just sheer panic… and I saw her earlier that day. I saw it in her face too. She realised who I was before I recognised her…"

Rick kept his gaze low, spinning his wedding ring with his thumb as his wife spoke.

"You ran to her. You ran to her like she was your life line in front of everybody! Everyone saw my husband leave my side to be with another woman!"

"Lori. I told you what had happened. I told you we can't continue on like this-"

She shook her head, her brow furrowing as her lip curled in disgust, "Did you go looking for her to have sex?"

"No. That wasn't why I went to look for her" He frowned at the accusation, "I needed to know that she was okay-"

"What does that even mean?"

"She's gone through a lot" His tone had more base to it as he spoke, "She left here on her own and I just wanted to make sure she was fine-"

She released a shaky breath, "Did she know you were married?"

"Does it matter? I'm the one that's married to you-"

"Exactly! You're the one that's married and you cheated on me with..." She stopped hissing at him as her eyes widened again, "You slept with her while she was pregnant with another man's child?"

He sat forward as he raked his fingers through his hair.

"You slept with her… she wasn't in her early days either, I saw her and she was… and you still" Her eyes searched his face, as she stopped pacing once again, her arms back at her sides, "Do you love her?"

He froze, as he wasn't expecting that question.

Lori's face fell blank as she sat back, "You do. You love her"

"I.. I-"

"You are not leaving me Rick. You are not leaving me for her-"

He frowned as he straightened up, "I-"

"You will not!" She insisted angrily as she pointed at him, "I will not be the talk of this town! You will not have people look at me as the woman whose husband left her for some tramp! No. You don't get to do this to me! You don't get to shame me this way after everything I've done!"

Rick sat back in his chair, letting her have her outburst. He was glad Carl was at the neighbour's home, and not around to hear his mother scream at him.

"You think I never wanted to be with someone else?", She breathed through a clenched jaw, a stray tear rolling down her cheek, "You think I wanted this life? When I dreamt of getting married as a little girl, I thought it would be with someone I loved and who loved me back! But no, I was damn near bred to marry you! And this is the thanks I get? I saved your family's reputation all those years ago. I gave you and your parents that picture perfect family. I've played my role and this is how you repay me?"

His knee bounced as he watched her, his thumb still spinning the wedding band, "You're right"

She stared at him.

"You have played your role", He sighed as he sat back in the chair, "I'm sorry for betraying you. For lying to you and for being unfaithful. You didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of any of that… I'm sorry for only loving you as the mother of my child, and not my wife… And I don't regret anythan', any of the years we spent together, because we would have never had Carl… but I shouldn't have asked you to marry me, and I regret letting you pour so much in to something that was one sided"

She hadn't moved, and Rick wasn't sure if she had even blinked.

"I never meant to hurt you, I never wanted to hurt you, but I fell in love with someone at the wrong time, and she came back at the wrong time…" He shook his head as he rose from the chair, "I'm not gonna up and leave you. I won't do that, we can sort somethan' out, and I'll continue to be there for my son, but our marriage… we both deserve to be happy and we can't keep forcing ourselves to pretend. It's not fair on either of us and most importantly Carl"

She squinted at him, "Are you going to her?"

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm gonna be there for her-"

"You think your parents will let you?"

He looked at her with disbelieving eyes.

"They won't. They won't let you run off with her and you know it-"

"My parents can't stop me from doing a damn thang", He delivered harshly, "I'm not running off with anyone, she's here, and I'll be there for her-"

Lori slammed her hand on the table, "You go near her and I will make sure you don't get to step a foot near Carl again!"

"What did you say to me-"

"You heard me! If you go and see her, then we're gone!", She growled at him.

He cocked his head at her, "You'd try to keep my son from me Lori?"

"I wouldn't try, I would. And you know my parents would help"

He stepped back, shocked at her threat. He had never seen his wife behave so vindictively, he didn't think she was capable of making such loaded threats. He slowly nodded as he weighed up his options.

"I always knew you'd turn out like my mother…", He rolled his tongue across his teeth as he considered his decision, "I said I'm sorry for what I did, and I meant it. Even after everythan' you just said to me, I mean it. I'll always regret doing that to you, but you won't force me to stay with you. You won't use my son against me. Now I'm gonna go and see her, and if I come back and you're gone… then I will do whatever it takes to stop you from keeping him from me. No one will make me choose between the two, because I will fight for both"

He left her glaring at him. He knew Lori had all right to be angry with him, and he expected her to be, but he never expected her to be so vindictive. When he first broke the news of his act with Michonne, she acted as if he hadn't said anything at all, the only reason he left the discussion alone was because he figured she just needed time to accept it. He wondered if, had the day had gone differently, she would have continued to pretend nothing had happened.

Anxiety built in his chest when he realised what he was letting himself in for. He didn't want to have to fight for his son, but he was more than willing to if Lori was serious. He'd couldn't admit his fault in the situation any more than he already had but to take his son from him would be a far greater crime.

He hoped the drive to the hospital would help calm him, but alas, he was still very mad. He made his way through the building, trying to rid himself of his ill feelings. He arrived on the floor Michonne was staying on and took slow, deep breaths as he walked down the hall. When approached the door, he knocked and waited, instantly regretted not bringing something for her.

"Come in!"

He pushed open the door and was greeted to a heart-warming sight. She was sat with Andre in the crook of her arm, feeding him with the smallest bottle Rick had ever seen. She smiled at him and he smiled back as he closed the door. She was still adorned with band aids, her hand held the bottle awkwardly as it was in a cast.

"Hey", She turned her attentions back to her son.

"How are you two doing?", He kept his voice low, as not to wake the baby.

"We are doing great… how about you?"

He nodded as he looked down at them, "Yeah… I'm fine"

Her eyes crept up to meet his, "Is this an official visit?"

He sighed, take a seat on the bed facing her, "I haven't heard anythan', but the last I checked, he was still unconscious… they'll call us when they plan to wake him… he'll be watched until he gets out, though I don't think he can go far with his injuries"

She stared at Andre as she listened, then finally gave a small nod.

"He won't get away with this", He insisted, tilting his head to catch her eyes, "I'll make sure of it"

She sighed, removing the bottle from the sleeping baby, "Yeah…"

He bit his bottom lip as he watched her, wishing he could offer her more than just his word.

"Tara? Have you seen her? He pushed her-"

"She was fine when I left her, but if you want me to check on her I will. I'm sure she gave Sasha her details'-"

"Please?"

"Alright, I will"

"Thanks…", Her eyes still latched on her son, "How's… everything at home?"

He snapped his eyes shut as he shook his head, "A mess but… I'll deal with it"

She frowned at him as she rested Andre against her shoulder, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"...I don't think I want to… It'll make it all too real"

She gave an understanding nod as she rubbed small circles on her sons back, "Yeah. I get that… I'm sorry-"

"Don't be. Don't ever be. You haven't done anythan' wrong, it's… it's all my fault. I let my mom, my dad, this whole town run my life. I don't feel like I've ever truly had control of any aspect of it all… I feel like a fool for it… but not anymore. The only thing that I have is my son and… I won't let them control me through him too"

Her gaze dropped to his hands, "I don't want to be the reason you don't see your son Rick-"

"You won't be-"

"I will be", She said sternly, "Don't come back here"

He frowned as he slowly sat back to look at her.

"What do you think's going to happen? You think you can divorce your wife with no problem, your parents are going to accept everything, then you, me and our kids can go run off into the sunset? You won't ever have a happy ending with me. I don't get happy endings", She rolled her eyes as she wiped a stray tear away.

His eyes dropped down to Andre in her arms, "You're holding one right now"

She shook her head as she looked down at him, "My only one…"

He rested his hand on her thigh, "I know what I'm doing and I know what I want my end result to be. I'm not expecting everything to fall into place because these things take time and it won't be easy, but It's what I want…"

She sighed, staring at him with tired eyes.

"What do you want?"

"I want…", her eyes slid down to his hands again, "A chance… at us"

He took her bad hand gingerly in his and kissed her fingers that stuck out the end of the cast, "We will have our chance"

He was over the moon to hear that she wanted the same thing as he did. He felt like he had the strength to handle all that would be coming his way.

He didn't stay too long at the hospital, as he knew he had to get home to see what was happening with his home situation. He knew that Lori would tear Carl away from his friend's home, as he often did spend the Sundays there.

His mood soon soured when he saw his parent's car parked in front of his home. He scoffed to himself for expecting anything different. Lori was going to pull out all the stops to keep him in check, and the first line of defence was obviously his parents. He parked his car in the driveway and strolled up to his home.

Lori was sat on the couch beside his mother, while his father sat in the recliner beside them. Rick walked into the living room and took a seat in the opposite recliner, wearing a stoic expression. His mother's old eyes watched him sternly, while his father was leaning forward, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped.

"Lori told us what happened", His mother spoke first, her voice was thick with dread.

Rick nodded slowly, his expression cemented on.

"Would you care to explain yourself?"

"The only person I need to explain myself to is Lori, and I did that already", His tone was calm, but cutting.

His mother's face tightened, "So it's true? You really are trying to leave your beautiful, pure family for… that"

"I'm not leaving my son. I'll never leave my son, and I don't know what that means"

"Don't you dare toy with your mother, boy", His father warned, his brown eyes flashing with anger.

"Boy?", Rick repeated dryly, his lip curling at the word.

His mother started, "You need to remember where we stand in this community. Your father may not be mayor anymore but that does it give you the right to-"

"To do what I want?", Rick finished.

"Exactly! You still have a duty to this family and a responsibility-"

"My son will still be looked after, that won't change. And I'm not leaving Lori high and dry either-"

"You are not leaving her at all! What the hell is going through your mind! You think you can just decide to throw away everything we've worked for! Do you remember what that scandal almost cost this family? I had to work endlessly throughout this town to dismiss the disgraceful rumours you brought on us! And you want to try and tear us down again? You are an ungrateful child and I will not stand for it!"

"You don't have to. I'm not asking for anyone's approval on what I do", He shrugged at his mother, "If people want to talk then let them-"

"We will not ' _Let them_ '! We will not be shamed from our positions and you will not tarnish the Grimes name! Do you know how many organisations I run? Do you? Do you know how many Lori is a part of? Your father- Your father wants to run for governor next year and he can't have you stain this family by running off with that whore and her bastard child!"

Rick stood so quickly from his seat that he almost gave himself vertigo, "Get out of my house"

The other three sets of eyes widened at him. His mother slowly rose from her seat, "Excuse-"

"Get out of my house!", He roared, pointing to the front door in the hallway.

"You do not speak to your mother that way!", His father was on his feet, pointing at Rick, "I don't know what has gotten into you but you better set yourself straight! You will show her respect!"

"I will show you both the door", Rick growled at him, "Now, leave!"

"You will not get away with this", His mother breathed through gritted teeth, "If you think, for even for a second, that I'll let you do this to us, you have another thing coming. You may be my son but I will ruin you before I let you ruin me"

"I wouldn't bet on that", He bit back, "Now get. Out"

His mother gave him one last stern look before storming past him. Rick glared at his father as he marched around him, slamming the door when they left. Lori was still sat on the couch, obviously stunned with the turn of the conversation.

"You still wanna go through with this?", He asked her as he rested his hands on his sides.

Her head jerked back at his question, "Do you?"

He sniffed as he looked around the room, "I meant everythan' I said earlier"

"So. Did. I", She seethed, her fists balling.

"Alright, but just remember that it's gonna come out that we split either way"

"Do you not see the damage it will do? You'll be ruining everyone else's life for your own selfish needs-"

"Lori, even if none of this happened with Michonne, how long would we have lasted? Seriously? You even admitted that you've wanted to be with someone else! Would you have rather have spent the next four or five years tied to me in a loveless marriage just to make a couple of old women in town happy or would you rather have an opportunity to live your life the way you wanted?"

She stood up and stepped around the coffee table, "Don't ask me what I'm willing to put up with, because I've already put up with a lot"

Rick wanted to bang his head against a wall. He couldn't fathom how his parents and his wife all had the same twisted mentality. He didn't expect them all to agree with his choices, but he didn't expect them to go actively go against them either. He knew they all just wanted him to give up and follow their lead but the situation was bigger than him just wanting to divorce his wife. He was finally making his voice heard, and making his own decisions and it was a battle that had been brewing for years.

Lori stayed with Carl in the home and he was grateful, though he knew that his parents probably told her to stay so she didn't rouse suspicion. They didn't say a word to each other but both showered Carl with attention when he was in the room. He had already taken to sleeping in the guest room after he initially told Lori what had happened, but he officially moved into the room after that weekend.

He was almost glued to the phone when he was at work, waiting for the hospital to call him with news about Mike. He wanted to face the other man for what he did, not only for putting Michonne in danger but for risking the life of their unborn child. He wanted the other man to stay suffering in the wrecked vehicle when he saw him, as he felt not compulsion to help him. He just wanted to find Michonne and make sure she was okay.

"You heard anything yet?"

Rick looked up from his desk to see Sasha stood in front of it, sifting through envelopes in her hand, "Nope. Nothing"

She nodded, "What about your… friend? Is she okay?"

He watched Sasha, noticing the change in her tone, "She's doing well"

She nodded again, her eyes darting up to meet his, "Hey, I'm just asking. It's not my business unless it's illegal"

He smirked at her as he looked back down at the phone, "Wish everyone else saw it that way"

"Yeah, right", She rolled her eyes, "Come on, they'll radio us if they hear anything, let's go get some coffee or something"

He knew she was right but he couldn't help but want to stay, though he still left with her anyway. He hadn't been able to see Michonne so far that week, but he was adamant that he would see her later that day, and he'd appreciate the distraction until then.

He and Sasha went on a coffee run and patrolled the town for a little while. He had become good friends with the younger woman, and he was genuinely beginning to think she was good for Shane. She didn't let him get away with any the old regular charms and had no problem putting him in his place. Rick knew Shane loved that about her, as his friend loved a challenge. He had wondered where his best friend was, as he hadn't turned up to work and called in sick, which was very unlike him. It was coming up to the end of the work day and Rick was leaving the office to call Michonne when Shane surprisingly made an appearance.

Rick looked him over, taking in his tired expression and creased sweatshirt, "You really are sick"

Shane sighed, not looking Rick directly in the eye, "Can we talk somewhere man?"

Rick frowned at him, "What's up? Is it serious?"

Shane shook his head, "Come on, let's just go somewhere-"

Rick stepped closer to him, "If it's somethan' serious Shane then tell me right now?"

Shane finally looked him directly in the eye, and something about the way he did made Rick feel uncomfortable.

"I love you man. I do. Your my brother and I don't think I care about anyone as much as I do you", Shane declared, his hands resting at his sides.

Rick watched him like a hawk as he listened to him.

"...I don't know what or how things got to where they did but… it was never anythan'. It never meant anythan' to me. It was just… somethan' to do. Somethan' to pass time between my dry spells-"

"What are you talking about?", Rick pressed.

Shane's eyes snapped shut as he shook his head again, "Just let me… when's the last time you slept with Lori?"

Rick's head slowly sank forward, "What?"

"When? Tell me when please, so I can just get this right"

Rick winced at his friend, though he still tried to remember, "Just over a month ago-"

"And before that?"

Rick shook his head, "I can't remember, why are you asking me this?"

"There was a time that you two hadn't slept together for month's right? Say two or three months?"

Rick frowned at him again, "How the hell…"

"She told me", Shane rubbed the back of his head, "She told me… and I don't- she knew you didn't love her and I guess it took some of the guilt away but-"

"The hell are you trying to tell me, Shane?", Rick moved even closer to him.

Shane's face contorted in hurt, "I've been sleeping with her- I mean I was. I did sleep with her… a few times"

Rick stepped back as he looked him from head to toe.

"It started when you asked me to check on 'em when you were working late… she was… that's when she told me everythan'... and it just… I didn't see it as anythan', I didn't want her to leave you, I didn't want anythan' more, it was just sex… I stopped it all when things with Sasha started-"

"You're the person she wanted to be with?", Rick breathed out as he squinted at Shane.

Shane shook his head as he looked around the parking lot, "It was nothing like that… but she's… I saw her yesterday in the pharmacy… at the baby aisle… and I asked her cause… we didn't really use anythan'-"

Rick's stomach dropped, "She's?"

"She's is", He nodded, "She's pregnant… and she knows it's mine, she tried to deny it but she does… and she's gonna tell you it's yours… she's doing what she can to hold on to you-"

"How can you call me your brother?", Rick hissed at him, "How can you call me that? Don't ever call me that again, do you hear me?"

"You are my brother-"

"Don't ever call me that again!", Rick belted out as he invaded Shane's personal space.

"Rick, your no better than me, man", Shane shook his head as he looked away from him.

"Did I say I was Shane? Did I say I'm in a position to take the moral high ground?" Rick breathed sinisterly in his ear, "I know what the hell I did wrong and I know who I wronged, It took me a minute but I made sure I came clean for it cause it didn't matter who I loved and who I didn't, I still lied and I still cheated-"

"I'm coming clean now-"

"Because she's pregnant!", Rick barked in his face, "How far along is she? Did she tell you that?"

Shane dropped his head, "Three months"

Rick chuckled disbelievingly as he stepped away from him, "She's three months pregnant?... yeah that… that's definitely your child. No doubt about it. No doubt at all. I think we've only slept together four or five times this year so… congratulations. Your gonna be a father"

"Rick. I'm so sorry-"

"You keep that apology. You keep it. I don't want that from you. I don't want a damn thang from you-"

"I messed up! I messed up big time and I never meant to hurt anyone and you know how that feels! You know-"

"Oh I do. I know. I really know", Rick rubbed the side of his face as he tried to let the new information sink in, "You… you were, you have been the person that I'm closest too. You have. My son has your name in his… my parents, Lori, there both hell bent on tearing me down right about now and… I thought you would one of the people I could count on to help me face that-"

"I will be-"

"No. No, you won't. No, you won't"

Rick looked around the parking lot and stopped when he saw Sasha looking at them both with wide eyes. She slowly walked over to the two of them, her focus purely on Shane.

He dropped his gaze when he was close enough, "You heard it all?"

A slapping sound rang out around them as Sasha smacked Shane hard across the face, "A whole year you chased me down for. A whole year!"

She turned around and marched off. Shane looked like a wounded puppy, rubbing his cheek as he watched her disappear back inside the building. Rick sighed, shaking his head as he walked over to his squad car. He didn't have anything else to say to his friend, but he had a whole lot to say to his wife.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 5:

"He's adorable! And so much hair! I was bold in all my baby pictures!"

Michonne chuckled at Tara as she watched her rock her son side to side. She was excited that her new friend was coming to see her, as she hadn't had any visitors, besides Rick. She wished he could see her more but she understood that he wasn't in the position to.

"So you had a C-section? Does it still hurt?", Tara asked as she looked it over.

"Yeah… I can't really do much right now but the nurses are great", She shrugged.

"What happens when you have to leave? You're still going to need help right?"

"I'll manage. I'll try to anyway…"

"What about that officer? He seems like he'd help?"

She grimaced, "Well, he would, but he's… he has his own family to worry about"

Tara nodded as she looked back down at the new-born, "I can't wait until I can give you a playmate"

Michonne smiled at the both of them. She was grateful for the distraction, as she had hardly gotten any rest as she knew she was in the same hospital as Mike. She feared he would come and find her, or even worse, tried to take Andre from her. His presence kept her on high alert.

Both women turned to the door when they heard a little knock, and Michonne couldn't stop the smile from spreading on her face when she saw it was Rick. He was in his dark blue uniform, and she could immediately tell something was bothering him.

"Afternoon ladies", He announced as he stepped into the room.

"Hey", Tara greeted cheerfully.

"Hi", Michonne watched him with anticipation.

"Hey there buddy", He smiled at Andre I'm Tara's arms, "This is the I've seen him awake, I think my voice bores him"

"Don't say that- Oh… well he's yawning now", Tara chuckled as the little boy did indeed yawn.

"Right on cue", Rick chuckled.

"I'll take him for a little walk. Help him drift off"

Tara swayed out the room with Andre, while Rick took a seat on the edge of the bed with Michonne. He sighed and rested his hand on her thigh, "He's up"

Her eyes darted away from his, "I knew it"

"There's a few officers up there with him now. He's still a little groggy but we're watching him"

"Did he say anything?"

Rick was eyes dropped to his hand, "He said your name a few times"

She shuddered, "Great"

"I won't let him near you or the baby", He gave her knee a little squeeze, "The nurses know he's dangerous. He'll be supervised until we can take him in"

She shifted her bad arm in front of her as she sat back, "I just don't want him near Andre"

"He won't be around either of you"

She looked at him and noticed he still wore an unreadable expression, "What's wrong?"

He shook his head, "Nothing"

"You're a terrible liar", She smirked, nudging him with her foot.

The beginnings of a smile traced his lips, before he frowned, "Shane got my wife pregnant"

Her jaw hung as she looked at him with wide eyes, "What?"

He nodded, "Just found out. She was gonna play it off as mine…"

"Have you talked to her?"

"Not yet, no"

"...I'm sorry Rick"

He shook his head at her, "Don't be… I mean when I think about it… the time he said it happened, he was around more but I just thought that's because he's my best friend, that's what we'd do for each other you know?"

She nodded as she gave him a sympathetic look, "Do they want to be together?"

"I think she did… maybe still does… I don't know", His fingers combed through his hair as he looked up at the ceiling.

She placed her hand on top of his. Truth be told, she wasn't sure how to comfort him. She wasn't sure how to comfort anyone, as she had only ever had to look after Andrea through most of her life, but she was going try.

He looked down at her hand before taking it in his and bringing it up to his lips. He kissed her knuckles as his thumb stroked over her fingers. She felt as if a wave of butterflies fluttered through her stomach.

"I got him to sleep I think", Tara swayed back into the room with Andre still tucked in the crook of her arm, "It might just be a nap though"

"Thank you", Michonne beamed as she brought her baby back over to her. She glanced at Rick, "Do you want to…"

Rick perked up, "Of course. It's been a while"

Tara repositioned herself to give Rick the baby. He looked even smaller in his arms than he did Tara's. Watching him hold her son did nothing to curb the fluttering sensation in her stomach.

They bid Tara goodbye, as the other girl had to go back into the city. Michonne hoped to see her more often when she got out of the hospital, though she couldn't deny that she felt a little guilty about it, and wouldn't admit it aloud.

"What happens when you leave?"

Her eyes darted up to meet Rick's, "I go home?"

He didn't hide his displeasure at that notion, "You know what I mean Michonne"

"I'm not staying in this town Rick", She knew exactly what he meant.

"I just want to be able to help you when you need it-"

"If I hadn't gotten in contact with you then I still would have been doing this by myself-"

"But you did, and I found you, and now I'm here and I want to help"

She rolled her eyes as she looked to the other side of the room, "You even said yourself it won't be easy. Staying here would make it catastrophic"

He opened his mouth to say something, when a little sneeze caught both of their attention. He looked down at the baby and smiled, "Well bless you, let's wrap you up a little more"

She watched him with adoring eyes as he adjusted Andre's hat on his head. She didn't think she could be any more attracted to him than she already was. Her eyes darted up to the door when she noticed someone hovering by, and her moment with Rick was effectively ruined.

His wife was stood with wide eyes as she took in the scene before her. Rick looked up from Andre, his smile vanishing almost instantly.

"What are you doing here?", He frowned at her as he straightened up, "Where's Carl?"

"I.. I just came by to wish her a speedy recovery", She tried to explain as she smoothed her hair back, "He's with your mother"

Rick eyed her for a moment, before handing Andre back to his mother. Michonne wasn't sure what he planned to do when she saw him get up and head to the door. He reached behind Lori and shut the door, his eyes serious as he stood in front of her.

"Why are you here Lori?", He titled his head, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I just said-"

"You two don't even know each other so why would you do that? It doesn't make any sense?"

Her jaw clenched as she stared right back at him.

"You came to say somethan' else to her didn't you? My mother put you up to this? That's why she has Carl?"

"I should have known you'd be here", She scoffed, "You've made it clear that your family mean nothing to you-"

"My son means everything to me"

"And yet, here you are!", She waved her hand in the air.

"Lower your voice", He warmed.

Her eyebrows rose in disbelief, "I hope you're just as caring to this child as you obviously are hers"

Michonne's eyes followed the woman's hand as it rested on her stomach. She wished she didn't have front row seats to the ugly scene that was about to evolve in front of her.

"Shouldn't you be more worried about that's child's father?"

The woman's head jerked back as she looked at him with wide eyes, "What?"

"Shane's the father right? He's that person you wanted to be with?"

The colour drained from her face as she took a small step back, "I don't know what you're talking about. This is your-"

"No. It's not", Rick shook his head as he looked down at the floor, "He said you're three months gone? So that's impossible, ain't it?"

She shook her head, "He is a liar-"

"He is… he is but he's not afraid of responsibility either. If he thinks the child's his he'll step up and he'll be there and Shane would be the last person to claim a child that's not his"

Michonne could sure she could see the other woman's hands shaking.

"You are just looking for any reason to leave your family-", Lori spat back at him.

"You are pregnant with my best friend's baby", He rasped at her, his finger pointed, "I get it, we didn't love each other, and I've said it many of times now, I shouldn't have cheated, but you sat there and you acted like a saint. You acted as if your closet didn't have any skeletons in it at all when in fact… you've just been having the time of your life behind my back-"

"Do you have any idea what it's been like to be married to you?", She squinted at him as she breathed the words through gritted teeth, "You've always looked at me like you were disappointed to come home-"

"You can't stand there and say that when you're the one that's putting up a fight-"

"I am putting up a fight because I will not be a laughing stock!"

"Lower your goddamn voice!", He whispered harshly.

Andre squirmed in Michonne's arms, and for a moment, she had forgot that the two of them were in the same room. She felt as if she was watching a very intense TV drama. Rick looked over at her and sighed as he calmed. His wife still glared at him, her chest rising and falling quickly.

"Go home, Lori… and don't come back here", Rick's head was turned towards her, though his gaze was low.

She didn't move straight away, but finally turned around and snatched open the door. He closed it after her and dropped his head against it.

Michonne didn't know what to do or say. She rocked Andre in her arms and kept her eyes purely on him. She wanted to comfort Rick, but after such a heated discussion, she felt it would be best if she remained quiet.

"Sorry you had to see that", He breathed as he slowly stepped back over to her.

"Uh… No, don't worry about it…", She insisted as she cleared her throat.

"No, I should have left or somethan'... shouldn't be arguing around this little one anyway", He sighed as he sat down beside her again.

"...What happens now?"

"I'll figure it out"

Michonne was beginning to think Kings County had it out for her. With everything that happened whenever she set foot in the town, she was sure it was a sign she wasn't meant to be there. She wanted to leave as soon as she could, but she knew that wasn't possible.

She felt horrible for Rick, and strangely enough, she felt horrible for his wife too. Though she knew the other woman was being conniving with her motives, they both had spent years pretending to love each other. She could relate to the feeling. She felt trapped with Mike for a long time, though for contrasting reasons.

She could admit that she felt a little safer, despite him being awake, Rick had assured her that he was being watched. It did bother her to hear that he said her name when he woke up, as she was hoping that by some sweet turn of events, he had amnesia.

Her own memories of that night were still quite foggy. She remembered opening her eyes and seeing the late afternoon sky. She remembered hearing someone talk to her, repeating her name constantly. She remembered seeing Rick's face for only a moment, but he was there. She found relief in that moment.

When the day came that it was time for her to head home, Rick offered to drive her. She only agreed to let her because she knew he wouldn't relent. Tara had brought her down some things for her house in the days before and she managed to dress Andre and put him in his car seat. She was still considerably sore but she was determined to get back on her feet.

"You're up already?"

She turned to the door, and while she wasn't surprised to see Rick, she was surprised to see his son, holding his hand and looking at her curiously.

"I am… Hi there", She gave Carl a little wave.

"Hello", He chirped back, even though he still wore a sceptical expression.

"Carl, this is Michonne, and that's her son Andre", Rick introduced as he brought him over cautiously.

Carl's lifted his head to peer in the car seat, "He's really small"

"He won't be like that for long", She smiled down at him.

Carl frowned at her, "He was in your stomach?"

She nodded, "Yep"

"How'd he get there?"

Michonne's eyes darted to Rick, who sighed as his head dropped back, "I wished for him"

"Really?"

"Yep", She nodded again, but quickly changed the subject, "So we have a long car ride ahead of us Carl. You ready?"

He gave a quick nod, "Dad got me snacks"

"Oh that's great then!"

She didn't know why she felt so awkward speaking to the little boy, but she didn't dismiss the fact that it was due to everything else that was happening with his parents.

"We have to wheel you down, mama", The nurse smiled as she walked into the room with the wheelchair.

"Oh no Jacqui I'm fine-", Michonne shook her head.

"I'm not asking", The older woman raised her eyebrows at her. Michonne has learned what battles to pick with the nurse, though she had enjoyed her company during her stay.

Jacqui pushed her down to the hospital entrance, while Rick carried the car seat. Even though it was such a simple thing of leaving a hospital, she was glad she allowed him to take her home. She didn't like to get to ahead of herself but she was slowly beginning to believe her life wouldn't always be as tragic as it had been.

"Deputy Grimes! How nice to see you"

A woman with short blonde hair stopped them near the hospital entrance, carrying a large bouquet of flowers in her arms. Her eyes were like pin balls as she looked at all the faces in front of her.

"Hey Shelly, how are you?", Rick offered politely, adjusting the car seat in his arms so that Andre was facing away from her.

"I'm fine thank you, just on my way to visit John, he sprained his ankle so…"

"Oh really? I didn't know. I'll be sure to see him"

Michonne could tell by the way the woman's eyes stayed glued to Rick that she was probably hoping he would explain his reason for being there.

But Rick was smarter than that, "So we have to go but send John my wishes and you have a nice day"

Her smile tightened, "Will do! Goodbye!"

Michonne was sure the little encounter was all that it took for word to get around that he was in contact with her again. Not that she cared what anyone else had to say about it, but she knew Rick was already having such a problem with everyone else in his life, the last thing she wanted was for him to have to deal with the rest of the town.

"My dad said you have snakes?"

Michonne looked down at Carl as they waited for Rick to bring his truck around.

"I do… Peaches and Frank", She informed.

Carl nodded as he dropped his gaze, as if he were storing the information away carefully. Michonne couldn't think of anything more adorable than watching his little expression.

"We had a guinea-pig… but it got sick"

She grimaced, "Sorry to hear that… it's not nice when they get sick"

He looked up at her with his little blue eyes and for a split second, Michonne thought she was looking at Rick. Their look of concern was virtually identical.

Rick pulled up and Carl happily hopped in the back seat with a sleeping Andre, while Michonne sat up front with Rick. They left hospital and Michonne was glad for it. Her worries about Mike slowly faded as they drove away, and she hoped she never had to see him again.

"Can we go out for lunch?", Carl asked his father as he took his lollipop out of his mouth.

"I don't think so son-"

"Why not?", Michonne piped up.

He snuck a little glance at her, "Because you just had a baby?"

She gave a little shrug, "It's just lunch. Not water-skiing"

He smirked as he shook his head at her, "Alright, fine. We'll go out for lunch. Your treat"

"Didn't I get the last one?"

"I haven't touched that yet"

She bit her lip to stop her smiling like an imbecile, "My treat then"

"Is mom coming?", Carl questioned.

Michonne's lips clamped shut. She watched as Rick glanced at his son in the rear-view mirror and shook his head.

"Mom's very busy today. Next time, alright?", He prompted.

Carl nodded as he put his lollipop back in his mouth. Michonne was sure Rick felt some relief that he didn't probe any further.

She almost felt as if she was dreaming as she sat in the car with the two of them. She had often imagined seeing Rick again in the past, but never in such a situation. It was an idea she was warming to, though the guilt that she had felt previously still laid deep within her stomach.

They pulled over to the eatery that Rick had been to when they first met up again, at Michonne's request of course. Her nervousness around Carl was beginning to disperse, and she tried her best not to force herself on the little boy.

"Can I just get fries? I don't want a burger", Carl requested as he looked at the menu with his father.

"You sure?", Rick raised his eyebrows at his son.

Carl nodded.

"Alright, then"

Andre began to squirm in his car seat, and Michonne happily took him out, and held him on her chest.

"What's he gonna have?", Carl asked.

Michonne chuckled, "He can't eat anything yet. He doesn't have any teeth"

Carl looked horrified.

"It's okay!", She added, noting his expression, "He'll get some, just right now all they have is milk"

Carl's eyes darted to the baby and then to his father.

Rick couldn't control himself as he tried his best to hold in his laughter, "Yeah, babies only have milk son. When his teeth come in then he can start to eat"

Carl looked down at the menu as he tried to process the information.

"Sorry", Michonne mouthed to Rick.

He waved his hand dismissively at her, mouthing back, "It's okay"

"Hey there guys can I take your- Oh! It's you two!", the same waitress that had served them previously grinned as she looked them over, her eyes stopping on the baby, "Oh look here! You had the baby!"

"I did", Michonne nodded as she rubbed his back.

"Oh, he's so damn tiny! Daddy must be over the moon!", She chuckled as she turned her attentions to Carl, "And who is this little handsome fella?"

"Hi, I'm Carl", Carl greeted in a way that melted Michonne.

"It is lovely to meet you Carl. I'm Darlene and I'll be getting your food for you, so what would you like?"

The cheerful waitress took their orders, and Michonne hoped she wasn't leaving poor Carl confused with all the mother and father references she made. While Carl obviously wasn't her child, she imagined the waitress didn't want to offend them, and she appreciated her efforts.

"So Carl, have you heard your dad sing before?"

Carl began to giggle, "Yeah…"

"And what exactly are you laughing about?", Rick asked him in a stern but playful manner.

"You're not very good dad", Carl looked at his father sympathetically.

Rick mocked offence, "Well! I never heard you complaining before?"

"I did!"

"Obviously not loud enough", Rick smirked, "Michonne here can't sing either-"

"Okay, your dad is just jealous", She insisted.

"Yeah, jealous of the people outside the car"

Her mouth fell open.

"Dad, that's not very nice", Carl scolded quietly.

Michonne grinned, "Looks like I'm revoking your title as golden boy and passing it on to Carl here"

Rick held his chest as if he was shot, "You can't do that"

"What's a golden boy?", Carl enquired.

"Golden boy means a very special boy, which is now you", Michonne informed, sneaking a glance at Rick.

Carl's little cheeks flushed red as he dipped his head. Rick nudged his son as he chuckled at him. Michonne was battling with a discreet way to breastfeed her son when she noticed him take out his phone.

"Yeah?", He answered with a frown.

Michonne grabbed Andrea's blanket from his car seat and slung it over her shoulder, covering the two of them as she adjusted herself.

"Nah, she left today"

Her ear perked up and she looked at Rick, who was looking at her as he took the call.

"Well that's not gonna happen. I'm off duty at the moment but I'll be in tomorrow, we'll go in and question him then"

She realised he was talking about Mike and froze.

"Alright. Bye", He sighed as he hung up the phone.

"And here are your orders", The friendly waitress Darlene set down the large plates of food, and Rick waited until she had finished and left the table before speaking again.

"He's coming around, and they want to question him"

She sat back in her side of the booth, "What's not going to happen?"

He glanced at her as tucked a napkin in Carl's shirt, "He's asking about you. Wants to talk to you"

She frowned, her gaze dropping to her plate.

"I told them no"

"What's going to happen?"

"We'll question him in the hospital, as soon as we get the okay from the doctors we'll take him in. You won't have to see him again until the trial and even then you don't need-"

"I'm going to have to face him eventually", She admitted lifting her gaze to meet his.

"You won't have to. I'll make sure of it-"

"Rick, I get what you're trying to do and I appreciate it, but some things … there's just no avoiding... I'm glad I know where he is and all but… I will have to face him"

He bit his lower lip as he looked her over, seeming to battle with himself, "I won't let him hurt you again… or anyone for that matter-"

"You can't stop that-"

"I can try", He insisted as he leaned forward, "And you can't stop me from trying"

She knew he was hell bent on his mission to keep Mike away from her, so she relented on the discussion, "Fine"

Once they had all finished their meal, they piled back into Rick's car to continue the rest of their journey. As much as she admired his protective nature, she refused to be naive. She knew getting Mike out of her life wouldn't be as simple as just hiding behind Rick. Her child's father had shown himself to be possessive, and relentless, and she didn't feel as if she would ever be completely free from him.

The fact that Rick was stilled trying to take her on board, despite all that was happening with his own life, only made her love him more. She had never met or even seen his parents, but she had heard enough about his family on her first stay in Kings County. It wouldn't be impossible for her to picture what they would be like, and while he has never expressed that it was them that he was up against, she had a feeling that they were very much involved in his problems with Lori.

They arrived at her home, and even though she was more tired than she would like admit, she was enjoying the two male's presence, and she wasn't quite ready for it to end. Rick carried Andre in his car seat and set him down on the coffee table as he took him out. She couldn't take her eyes off him as he cooed over her son while interacting with his. She was sinking even further into that rabbit whole and she didn't think it was possible.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 6:

Rick adjusted a sleeping Carl on his shoulder as he walked up his porch steps. He was glad his son had tired himself out, as he was tired too and hoped to get to bed soon.

He initially wasn't sure how good of an idea it would be to introduce Carl and Michonne to each other, but soon decided to go along with it. He had already agreed to take Michonne home from the hospital and he hadn't been able to spend any proper time with his son all week, so he thought he'd use the drive as an opportunity to do both.

He was glad he made it happen in the end.

He stepped into his home and almost groaned when he saw Lori was still up and in the living room, obviously waiting for their return. He took Carl to his room and changed him into his pyjamas before putting him to bed. The urge to stay upstairs and go to his own room was strong, but he knew he had to speak to his wife.

He trudged back down the stairs after changing into his sweatpants, and found Lori still in the same place.

"Did you take my son to see her?"

Rick almost turned around and walked out the room, as his patience was almost non-existent when it came to Lori. He clenched his jaw as he took a seat in the recliner, opposite her.

"You've been putting him bed early all week, so I took him out for the day", Rick countered.

"You took him to see your mistress", The words left her mouth dripping venom.

"She's not my mistress", He frowned at her, annoyed by the term.

"What is she then?"

"Have you talked to Shane? Your parents? My parents?", He changed the subject, as he had come to hate talking about Michonne with anyone else.

Lori's bottom lip quivered for only a few seconds, "You owe me, Rick. After everything I have done for you, you owe me-"

"You think I owe you the right to keep this quiet? You want me to play along with you, raise Shane's child like my own and we all stay here and be miserable?"

"You know what's at stake here-"

"I knew what was at stake with you when I cheated. My only concern was you and Carl. You should have known the same when you were-"

"So are you going to out me? Run around and tell everyone that this child isn't yours so you can go live your new life with your girlfriend?"

"I'm not outing anyone for anythan'. That's somethan' you and Shane will have to deal with, but otherwise… I'm just going to live my life how I want, with whoever I want in it. The only thing I'm worried about is how this will all affect Carl-"

"Exactly! We have to make this work for him, Rick! He's innocent here and he needs both his parents-"

"He does. I don't deny that at all, and that's why the two of you need to figure out what you're doing, because the longer you leave it, the harder it's going to be-"

"Did you tell him he was going to see your girlfriend?", Lori winced at him as she waited for his answer.

He sighed, losing all interest in the conversation as he stood up, "Good night Lori"

"I don't want my son near her ever again"

He froze, his back towards her, tempted to say something else but he didn't need a new argument. He needed rest.

The next day Rick was in an anxious mood as he prepared to come face to face with Mike. He didn't know what he expected the man to say but he knew he wouldn't like it either way. He wanted him locked up and far away from Michonne and her son. Even though he still had so much to deal with on his own side of things, he saw Mike as another obstacle between he and Michonne, and he'd have to clear the path before the two of them could even start anything.

He purposely left the police department before Shane had a chance to accompany he and Sasha. He didn't want to see him, and he was sure Sasha felt the same way as she didn't suggest they wait for him.

When they stepped into Mike's room, Rick couldn't hold back the scowl that swept across his face. The other man was bruised and battered, his head was covered in a large bandage, while his arm was in a cast. He looked miserable, and only shifted as they approached him.

"I want to see my girlfriend", he demanded, his voice hoarse.

Rick frowned at him, ready to shut down his request, but Sasha was quicker, "We're here to talk to you about what happened on the Sunday night"

Mike wore a pensive expression, "Did you arrest the idiot that did this to us?"

"We have reports that you were driving recklessly after taking Mr Turner from the fair against her will", Rick tried to keep his tone calm, though he knew he was failing.

"She's my girlfriend and she's pregnant with my child, we were going home", Mike insisted sternly, "Ask her. She'll tell you"

"She doesn't want anythan' to do with you", Rick realised that Mike wasn't aware that Michonne had given birth, and he was in no rush to tell him either.

Mike's eyes darkened, "I want to see her"

"Can you please confirm you version events on the day in question", Sasha reinforced, obviously sensing the growing tension in the room.

"I already told you, I was taking my pregnant girlfriend home and some idiot crashed into us. That's it-"

"Have you ever been violent towards her?"

"No. I have not", He bit out, "Why? Has she said anything?"

"She was with a friend that evening that claims you shoved her off when she tried to stop you", Rick tilted his head at him.

"She was trying to stop us from leaving-"

"Or was she trying to stop you from taking her?"

Mike opened his mouth to say something but paused, before his eyes narrowed at him, "It was _you_ "

Rick continued to glare at him.

"You answered her phone?"

"How'd you find her?", Rick stepped closer to the bed.

"You told me she was in Texas", Mike's expression became more aggressive, "I nearly left this piece of shit town to go there-"

"So you admit you were looking for her?"

"Why did you answer her phone? What's going on between you two? You sleeping with my girlfriend?"

"Okay you need to calm down, right now", Sasha spoke strictly as she tried to take control of the situation.

"You better stay away from her", Mike growled at him.

"I was gonna tell you the same thing", Rick attempted to step closer but Sasha was beside him before he could.

"She's my girlfriend!-"

"She's not your anythan anymore!", Rick roared back at him, "From the moment you put your hands on her you lost all right to be with her!"

"Hey! Calm down!", Sasha barked, grabbing his arm.

"You think you can come between us?", Mike tried to sit up but failed.

Rick smirked at him, "She knows what she wants. And it ain't you"

Mike tried to lunge for him, but Sasha grabbed his good hand to stop him. He shook himself away from her, "Get the fuck off me! I'm gonna get him-"

"Like you got her?!", Rick grabbed his flailing arm with one hand and caught him by the throat with the other, leaning in to him as he breathed, "She doesn't want you. She came looking for me and she found me and I'm not letting her go again. That's my family now"

Mike struggled in his grasp, "I'm gonna-"

"You're not gonna do anythan' because if you do, you'll be back in here with more than a concussion and a broken arm"

"Rick!", Sasha hissed, her hand on his shoulder, "I'll take over from here, okay?"

Rick tore his glare from Mike, "Cuff him to the bed. I don't want him touching you again"

"Alright", Sasha nodded.

Rick released him and marched out the room. He ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to calm down, but he wished he could do more to the man, though he was content with just the warning for the moment. He knew Michonne felt like she had to face him again, but he didn't want such a thing to happen, especially after he could have killed the three of them.

He was sat outside the room waiting for Sasha to finish her questioning, when his phone rang in his pocket. He snarled when he saw it was his mother.

"What?"

"I heard what you did", His mother spat down the phone, "Leaving the hospital with her child and my grandson like some big happy family!"

Rick moved the phone from his ear for a moment, trying to calm himself again, "Have you talked to Lori yet?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You should probably talk to her before you say a damn thang to me again".

Rick hung up and resisted the urge to throw his phone. He growled as he stood from his seat, trying to gather his thoughts. He usually kept a level head, and tried his best to be understanding and receptive to others, but it was becoming impossible.

"Rick"

He looked up from the ground to see Shane making his way towards him cautiously. Rick groaned as he looked the other way.

"This how it's gonna be now? You're just gonna avoid me at any chance you get?"

"Yes. Yes I will", Rick nodded, his eyes gazing around the hall.

"Rick, I don't know how else to say it but I'm sorry for what I did. I am, and I hope one day you can forgive me but we have to work together, you're my partner-"

"You won't be for very long. I don't want to work with you anymore", Rick announced coldly.

Shane sighed, shaking his head as he looked down at his boots, "I never meant to hurt you. I didn't-"

"Well y'all messed around more than once so you clearly did-"

"You don't love her! You never loved her!", Shane threw his hands in the air.

"So that means you sleep with her?", Rick stepped closed to him, squinting with disbelief, "I put myself in a poorly thought out situation, because that's what my marriage was, and you even knew that, so I shouldn't be angry because I didn't love her? How about the fact that my best friend slept with my wife. How about that? Hell, if you told me you were head over heels for her, I might sympathise with you a little because sometimes people do unforgivable things when they're in love, but you just did it for the sake of it?"

Shane finally looked up at him, "I was a fool. I know it. I betrayed you, I messed up with Sasha… I just did a lot of thangs wrong and I'm sorry for it"

Rick was shaking his head at him when the door opened and Sasha stepped out. She sent Shane a disgusted look before walking around him.

"Come on Rick", She called back, still looking straight ahead.

Rick straightened up, "You should talk to Lori... figure out what you two are doing about all this. A whole lot is gonna change for Carl and he doesn't deserve to be dragged through it all"

"I understand", Shane huffed, nodding in agreement.

Rick stepped past him, having nothing else to say to the man. It still hurt for him to look at Shane, and while his friend was right about how he felt about Lori, he still couldn't get past his lies. He wondered if Lori had felt the same about what he had done, but quickly dismissed the thought as he realised she was pinning for Shane. The thought of the two of them together wouldn't have bothered him so much if they didn't have Carl. Shane had been almost a second father to his son, present through all of his milestones, and to think that he would be the father to Carl's new sibling made Rick feel strange.

By the time he arrived home that evening he was tired. The day was a draining one and he just wanted to have something to eat then go to sleep.

He wasn't granted that option.

When he stepped into his living room he saw that Lori was sat with her parents. He wanted to bang his head against a brick wall.

"We would like to talk to you Rick", Her mother offered quietly.

"Where's Carl?", Rick asked, looking at Lori.

"He's in my room, watching a movie", She answered, her gaze low.

He turned and headed up the stairs, in no rush to talk to his in-laws. He knew why they were there, and he was willing to delay the conversation a little further.

He greeted his son and sat with him for a while as he filled him in on his day. He genuinely enjoyed hearing his heavily embellished stories, and watching his expressions change as he described the events to him. An anger started to brew within him as his son spoke, purely because Lori would try to keep him away from him. His son had always been his pride and joy and she knew that, she knew he'd do anything he could for him and it would devastate him beyond belief to separate them.

He kissed Carl on the head before heading back downstairs, a new found rage bubbling beneath the surface. He walked in the room and sat in the recliner, his eyes darting between the three of them.

"Now Rick, Lori has told us everythan' and we are appalled at the way the two of you have behaved", His father in law sat forward in his seat as he spoke, "This is not the way that two married people act towards each other"

"We're here to help you sort this out. We believe if you two try hard enough then you can work past all of this mess", her mother added.

"We will work past it. She's still my son's mother, and I'll always appreciate her for what she's done and I'll always respect her. We'll still raise our son together, just not as a couple", Rick shrugged.

Her mother's jaw dropped open, while her father's eyes bulged, "Let's not be too hasty here. She's pregnant and we have to take that into consideration"

"The father will look after that child. I'm sure of it"

"That's not somethan' we are going to allow. He may be the child's father biologically but she is married to you-"

"What do you mean that's now somethan' you're going to allow?", Rick winced at the older man.

"We won't allow it. He's not her husband, and she won't be shamed for her mistake-"

"She shouldn't be shamed for her mistake, that I agree with, but with all thangs considered, she was quite happy to do the shaming when the spotlight wasn't on her", Rick's face pinched in confusion.

Lori's eyes dropped back to the ground as her cheeks flamed.

"Look, we're are willing to do all we can to help the two of you get over this rough patch. As far as I'm concerned, you aren't an angel in this too-"

"Never said I was"

"Exactly, so you both have a lot of forgiving to do-"

"I don't hold a grudge over what she did, I just think it was rich that she acts as if she's done no wrong either. If she wants to be with Shane then I won't stop her-"

"What about the children?", her mother gasped, frowning at Rick.

"Neither child deserves this. We were both selfish for handling thangs the way we did because it ultimately affects them and that was a poor choice. That being said, we both love Carl, and I know Shane will love his child, and so long as we put them as our first priority from here on out, I think we can make this a less devastating transition, specifically for Carl since he's at an age where he's becoming aware of everythan'"

All three of them looked at Rick as if he was hovering from his seat.

"We will have no such thing", His father in law bit out, "You cannot abandon your family this way and expect it to run so smoothly-"

"I am not abandoning my son and I do not expect it to run smoothly. But I will try my best for Carl-"

Her parents looked to at each other with disbelieving expressions, before her mother spoke, "How can you do this to her? How can you just watch her in this awful predicament and not doing anything to help her?"

Rick groaned, "By help her, you mean stay with Lori, pretend that her child's mine, deny the child's real father his right to be a parent and we all live happily ever after?"

They both nodded at him.

Rick felt as if he was in the twilight zone, "That's not gonna happen. We're getting a divorce because neither of us want to be with each other-"

Her mother gasped again, clutching her chest, "A _divorce_?!"

Rick looked at her with wide eyes, "You thought we'd stay married?"

"You are just determined to ruin my daughter", Her father shook his head at him with a disgusted expression.

Rick could feel that rage brewing inside him ready to make an appearance. He couldn't believe how narrow minded her parents were, it was as if they had tunnel vision. He finally understood why her parents and his own had always gotten along so well; they were exactly the same.

"Your daughter is pregnant with my best friends child, and I'm in the wrong for wanting us to divorce?", He pinched his nose bridge with his thumb and his index finger.

"You wanted a divorce before you found out about the pregnancy", Lori hissed at him.

"Yes I did because our marriage was an mistake. You even said you didn't want to be married to me-"

"Because you didn't love me back!"

"You can't make yourself love someone", He growled as he dragged his hand over his face.

"You didn't even try!"

"I did. Trust me, I did but it just wasn't there and it wasn't there for you either and you know it"

"What are you talking about?"

"You were bred to marry me? You forgot you said that? You wanted to be with someone else? How long did you want to be with Shane for before you finally decided to sleep with him?"

Her mother seemed to clasp on to the couch as if she were stopping herself from fainting.

"You have both made mistakes but you can both move past them", Her father reinforced.

"I was wrong for cheating on Lori but what I did wasn't a mistake. I don't regret it, I just regret when I did it. Even now. Even despite the fact that she had an affair before I was even thinking about… someone else"

"So you're willing to just rip this family apart for someone else?"

"Carl will still be the centre of both of our worlds-"

"This woman you slept with has a child, so how will that work? And she has an abusive boyfriend, am I correct?"

Rick's tongue circled his tooth as he zeroed in on his father in law, "Don't ask me anythan' about her. She's none of your business"

The man ignored him, "So the two of you are going to live here together? In town? You think these people will accept her? Most would probably still remember her if they saw her? And if you don't live here then are you going to move away from here and leave your son behind so you can have a new family?"

Rick stood up slowly, "What did I just say?"

His father in law raised his eyebrows at him.

"I told you not to ask me about her, and I told you she was none of your business, now if you're not going to respect my wishes in my home then the both of you can get the hell out"

"Rick! They are my parents and they are more than welcome here!", Lori jumped up with her fists balled at her sides.

"Not if they piss me off. They can leave right now if they want", Rick didn't take his eyes off the man.

"Can you just stop? Ever since she's come into the picture you've just turned into this- this aggressive and angry-"

"Do you wanna know why I'm angry? Do you wanna know what is it that's just pushed me to the edge?", He squinted at her as he cocked his head to the side, "Because I've been an idiot. I've let everyone walk all over me and I'm so tired of it. We're in our thirties and both of our parents are coming in to my house to force me to do thangs I don't want to do! I don't want to stay married to you and you don't want to stay married to me but you feel like you have to be because of them, because of people like them and because of people like your damn self! I'm so sick of it all!"

Lori watched him with wide eyes, following his every move.

"We're getting a divorce. We're still raising our child together but we're getting a divorce. This house...", Rick threw his hands up as he looked around the room, "Well, it's my parents still so I'm sure they'll let you live in it after I move out. I'll pay for what I need to but otherwise… we're done here"

Everyone was silent for a moment, then her father stood up, "You are making a terrible mistake-"

"Lori, you let them shut Shane out of that child's life and you'll suffer for it and so will that child. You've been a great mother so far so don't turn that all around now", Rick warned with raised eyebrows. His eyes darted to her mother, then up to her father before he turned around and headed out the room, "You can see yourselves out"

Rick and Lori said nothing to each other in the days after the meeting with her parents. He hoped she was thinking twice on her choices. He truly did want her to be happy, whether it was with someone else or just by herself. Though, he knew chances were slim. She considered herself as one of the elite of the town, as she was very much involved in everything, and the situation that they had put themselves in would have been the most scandalous that the women had heard in a while. Rick tried to think of anyone else who may have fell pregnant outside of their marriage and he couldn't. He did take into account however, that if someone else was going through such a situation, they would probably keep it quiet.

He wondered how Lori would handle things as she started to show more. He was sure he caught a glimpse of a roundness to her stomach, but he wasn't completely sure, as he didn't look at her too often. Whenever he was home he spent the time with his son and care about nothing else.

When the weekend was approaching he was excited at the prospect of seeing Michonne, as he hardly spoke to her in the week. He was always worried she would be sleeping or had just gotten Andre to sleep, so he didn't want to bother her, but he took the chance on the Friday afternoon, while he was on his break at work.

"Hey", She greeted cheerfully.

"How are you two?", a large smile spread across his face as he leaned back against the headrest of his squad car.

"We are doing great… He's actually sleeping right now… guess he knew you were going to call", She giggled.

He chuckled, "That doesn't hurt at all"

"How are you doing?"

He sighed, "Pretty… pretty bad actually"

"What's wrong?", the lightness went from her tone.

"...Just had a lot to think about. What I'm doing… how I'm gonna do it… and I miss you on top of all that"

"I miss you too… and sorry about the other stuff…"

"I'll figure it out. I have to… but I'm moving out soon"

"Really?"

"Yeah, seen a couple places I like already"

"That's good I guess"

"You two could come and stay with me when I get everythan' together?"

She laughed quietly, "You know how I feel about that town"

"I feel the same as you… but I don't think I can leave. This is my home and Carl's too"

"...I don't think I know what that feels like"

"You will soon enough", He sighed as he felt so relaxed talking to her, wishing he had done so earlier in the week.

"Yeah… you coming by tomorrow?"

"If you'll have me"

"I will"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 7:

"Oh come on peanut!", Michonne sighed as she smelt her sons tiny butt, holding him in the air above her, "I just changed you!"

The baby squirmed in her hold.

"You smell like a trash can now", She teased as she made her way back into the bedroom to change him.

She felt as if she was getting the hang of motherhood, though she wouldn't deny that she was tired and still quite sore with her movements. She wanted to take Andre out for walks in his stroller or go to the park to relax but she also enjoyed being at home with him. It was as if she was living in her own private bubble, and it was perfect.

Once she got her son changed, she put him in his baby swing while she dressed for the day. She'd missed Rick all week, and she was excited at the prospect of seeing him. After the last time she saw him she felt even more compelled to him, which she didn't think was possible. She knew it was from seeing his paternal side, and she wasn't ashamed to admit it. It made him even more attractive to her.

She had only just pulled her maxi dress on when the doorbell rang, "He's here peanut!"

Her son's eyes were hooded as he sucked on his pacifier.

"Oh Andre, that is just rude", She chuckled as she headed towards the front door. She opened her mouth to greet Rick, but quickly frowned when she saw what he held in his hand, "What is all this?"

He grinned at her as he adjusted the boxes he held, "Hey"

"Hey… what is all-", He kissed her before she could finish the question. She nearly swooned on to him.

"Just a few thangs", He stepped past her, "Is he sleeping?"

"He looked like he was about to", She closed the door and followed him over to the living area, "Rick, seriously, what is all this?"

"Hey there buddy", Rick ignored her as he scooped Andre out of his swing.

She examined the first box, which was a baby monitor and then the one underneath was a sling, "You did not…"

"I think he's still too small for that one", He rocked Andre in his arm as he watched her.

The third box was a night light that hung on the side of the crib and projected images and played music. She was flawed, "Why did you-"

"Because I wanted to"

She could barely bring herself to look at him as a bashful smile spread across her face, "Well you didn't have to do this… but thank you. We appreciate it"

"Don't worry about it", He looked down at the sleeping baby in his arms, "Am I really that boring?"

"He sensed you were coming", She snickered as she place her goodies on the coffee table.

"Carl was the complete opposite. I used to have to take him for car rides around town to get him to sleep", He smirked as he took Andre to the bedroom.

"He seems so calm now though?"

"That's because you're new to him. If I brought him with me again today he would be bouncing off the walls…"

She smirked at his little story as she sat back on the couch. Her phone vibrated on the arm of the chair, so she tilted it to look at the screen. She wasn't familiar with the number so she laid it back down and waited for it to stop ringing.

"...I actually wanted to bring him but Lori already planned to take him on a play date with one of the other mom's", He explained as he emerged from the bedroom.

"How is… all of that?", She winced.

He sighed as he sat down beside her, "Pretty bad but… it won't stay like this forever"

"Have you talked to Shane?"

He scowled at the TV in front of them, "It's always the same thang"

She nodded, unsure of what exactly to say to offer him support, "You're right though… it won't stay like that forever"

"Yeah…"

Her phone started to ring again, and she glanced at it like she had done before, "I don't know the number"

He squinted at it, then frowned, "That's the hospital"

"Oh", She picked it up and answered, expecting the call to be about Andre, "Hello?"

"Michonne?", She discovered she was grossly mistaken when she heard Mike's voice.

"Mike?", She questioned, causing Rick to sit up straight. She rested her hand on his knee to stop him from saying or doing anything.

"We need to talk"

"What about?"

"Everything… you know they're trying to put me in jail for this?"

"Did you forget what you did?", her brow furrowed as she dropped her gaze.

"Look, I was angry and I shouldn't have done that but do you know how long they wanna put me away for?"

She deep sigh left her, "What do you want Mike?"

"I need your help", He pleaded, "You have to tell them it was all just a big-"

"You could have killed my son", She bit into the phone.

"Your son? It's a boy?"

She inhaled slowly, "Yes"

"Wait, did you have him? Nobody's telling me anything?"

Her eyes darted to Rick before she snapped her eyes shut, "Yes I did"

There was a long pause, "So are you going to help me?"

She scowled at the wall in front of her, "No, I'm not helping you-"

"Michonne you need to think about this. You can't raise a child by yourself, you need me-"

"I don't need you. I don't need you at all"

"What are you talking about? Of course you do! You can't do anything for yourself, all your good at doing is running and that's it. You don't want him to turn out like you do you? Or that friend of yours that got herself killed?"

Her breathing swallowed as she listened to him.

"You need my help and I can't help you if I'm in jail. You need to tell them that this was all an accident, then we can be a family. You're not a family without me-"

Rick took the phone from her, "She's done talking to you"

He hung up the phone and turned to her, "What did he say?"

She said nothing as she ran her hands over her hair, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath.

"Michonne?"

"He just… you know what? It doesn't matter", She shook her head, "He can say what he wants but I don't need him"

His eyes darted all over the side of her face, "That's what he said?"

She gave a little nod.

"Am glad you know that it doesn't matter what he says", He rested his hand on her back, "People like him are only good for putting others down. He knows you can do it all by yourself, and that probably scares him. Without you, who else does he have? And he called you for help?"

"Yeah", She breathed.

"That son of a…", His glanced at the bedroom door, "He's not nice is what I'm saying"

A quiet chuckle left her, "You scared he might hear you swear?"

He smiled shyly, and her mood improved dramatically, "I'm just used to doing it with Carl"

"You're still adorable", She cupped his cheek with one of her hands.

He bit his lip as he frowned, "You called me that the first time we…"

"We had sex", She insisted bluntly, "I remember. I think I scared you a little that night"

"A little? You were… wild"

She raised her eyebrows at him, "I don't remember hearing you complain?"

"I was stressed out from the moment we left the bar", He laughed, sitting back again, "I didn't know what to say or do. I was used to going about thangs… a little differently"

"You mean you've never taken a girl home from a bar before", She swung her legs on top of his, resting her head on the couch.

"Never. I was used to going on dates that my mom somehow set up…", He frowned as he recalled the memories.

"I think I could tell", She teased, "You haven't changed one bit… you're still sweet-"

"I was a bigger fool back then"

"Don't say that. You weren't", She furrowed her brow at him as he rested his hands on her legs.

"No, I was"

"Where you a fool when you took me out to eat? Kissed my hand in front of everybody?"

He paused as a smile crept back on his face, "Remember that waitress?"

"She was horrified", She cackled, "Everyone in that town treated me and Annie like we were trash"

His smile faded again, "I'm sorry about that"

"Don't be Rick", She nudged him with her foot, "It wasn't your fault. We were two single girls that ran around town, drunk on the weekends and vampires in the week… in a conservative, religious town. It was inevitable"

He traced little patterns on her knee, "I know but…still… even I want to get away from it sometimes"

"But you can't...I get it"

She sighed, placing her hand at the base of his neck, her thumb stroking his jaw. His eyes darted all over her face as he leaned closer and caught her lips with his.

"Wait… are you sure…", His looked down at her body as he broke away.

"It's fine", She crushed her lips back on to his.

She felt that weakness in her core again as she melted into him. His lips were cool and soft as she licked them between her teeth. His hand gripped her thigh as he pulled her legs apart, kneeling on the couch so he could lay between them.

The attraction she felt for him reared itself feverishly as she pulled him atop of her. It was if she all of a sudden couldn't wait for him, as a guttural moan escaped her lips when his length pressed against her crutch. He worked his way to her neck, biting at her skin when he was sucking on it. She slipped her hands between the two of them and got to work on his belt. He sat up and pulled his t-shirt over his head before opening his jeans. She didn't even attempt to take her dress off, instead she yanked it up to her waist and pulled her thong off. He seemed to register the urgency and only pulled his boxers down enough to expose his throbbing member.

He watched her with lust filled eyes as he leaned over her, aligning himself at her entrance. She shuddered when she felt his tip rubbing against her clit. His forehead rested atop of hers as he eased himself in her heat, sending her eyes rolling to the back of her head. Her legs wrapped around his waist as she urged him to go deeper, her breathing becoming shallow. His arm wrapped around her, holding her against him as he rolled his hips into her. She moaned in time with every movement he made, almost making her light headed.

"You're perfect", He almost whispered against her cheek.

She couldn't answer him. She could barely open her eyes. She was lost in the sensation of him probing her, and all she could do is tangle her fingers in his hair. If she could talk, she would tell him she thought he was perfect too. He had always been perfect to her. He was one of the very few people in her life that she had a healthy relationship with. With all things considered, he was the only person she had a healthy relationship with. She never left him feeling less of a person, or feeling as if she lost her worth when she was away from him.

She clung to him when he began to thrust into her, throwing her from her thoughts. Her back arched and her feet rested on his thighs, allowing him to fill her completely.

"Jesus…", He bit out, his breath tickling her ear.

His pace quickened and her eyes rolled around beneath her lids. His skin slapped against hers, and she was sure if they didn't hold on to her she'd be bouncing wildly beneath him.

Tension began to build between her legs and her eyes clamped together as her brow furrowed. She hummed her moans into her hand as he drove her to her orgasm. Her legs trembled around his waist as she tried to hold him within her.

His length jerked and his pace slowed to a forceful, purposeful rocking motion as he emptied himself in her centre. Shivers ran up and down her spine as she moved her hips against him, bringing them both down from their high.

He breathing calmed as he rubbed his nose against her cheek, "I love you"

She didn't know why her eyes snapped open the way they did, but it took her a moment to focus on the ceiling above her.

It wasn't that she didn't feel the same, because she did, she knew she did. But it was uttering the words that changed everything.

"I feel the same… but I just… I struggle with those exact words".

He lifted his head to look at her, as if he was trying to figure out what she meant, "That's okay… you wanna talk about it"

She shook her head, "I don't want to ruin this moment"

He gave a little nod, "That's fine then-"

A small cry could be heard from the bedroom, and Rick was off her in the blink of an eye. She stood up and pulled her dress down, as she headed to the bedroom. Andre's arms and legs moved around as he woke from his nap, preparing to let out a bigger cry.

"Come on peanut", She smiled as she scooped him up, "You're probably hungry huh?"

"You wanna go out for a little while?", Rick asked when she came back in sight, pulling his shirt over his head.

"Sure. The park?"

"Alright, let's me just feed him first"

Once she did feed Andre, they loaded his necessities into his car and made their way over to the park. She was almost giddy to spend time with him and Andre. She couldn't picture being anywhere else. It all just made her excited for her future with him.

"I need to get him a little baseball bat or somethan'...", Rick suggested as he held Andre on his shoulder.

"Can he hold his head up first?", She laughed.

"You have to start them early", He joked, his hand cradling the little ones head.

"I would think football would be the…"

Her words trailed off as she spotted someone in the distance. Her steps came to a halt as she squinted at the person, unsure if her mind was playing tricks on her.

"What is it?", Rick asked as he stopped to look back at her.

She took a moment to answer him, trying to get her mind to settle so she could find the words, "I think… that's Annie's mom?"

As soon as she said it aloud she knew it was her. The small blonde woman was sitting on the table of a bench, smoking a cigarette. Her shoes where off and her blonde hair was blowing in the breeze. She looked the same but older. She was with a dark haired man who was taking a swig of his beer next to her. She grinned at him before she laughed wildly.

"That's her mom?"

"It is…"

Michonne felt such a rage as she looked at her, not only for her poor presence in Andrea's life, but because Andrea could have easily ended up the same way. She could easily picture her best friend in the same position her mother was in, scarily clad, flirting with a man, without a care in the world. She emulated her mother more than she would have ever admitted.

"Do you wanna-"

"No. No", Michonne shook her head as the tears started to fall, "Let's go another way"

Rick frowned as he looked back at her, "You think she knows?"

She too, looked back at the woman, "I know she doesn't"

He hesitated for a moment, "You think you should tell her?"

"Why?", She snapped, "She doesn't care. Just look at her! Does she look like she gives a damn where her daughter is? She didn't care when she was a kid, when she desperately needed her, so why would she care when her daughter would have been a thirty two year old woman?"

He bowed his head as he started to rock Andre, "Alright, let's go"

She wiped her tears with her thumbs as she turned and walked beside him again. She didn't mean to sound so harsh, but she was in shock, and not to mention feeling guilty again. She was with the man that had effectively caused the rift between the two of them. He was the person she wanted to spend her life with when it should have been Andrea. It all made her miserable.

"Sorry… I don't understand what-"

"Rick, don't apologise... I'm sorry for snapping at you… it's just… it was like looking at her", She exhaled a shaky breath as they followed a new trail, "Her mom was pretty shit when we were kids… she'd pop up every now and then, drunk to the heavens and arguing with her dad. She was never mean to Annie, she just wasn't there… she'd promise to take her places… both of us actually… then we wouldn't see her for months"

Rick nodded as he listened patiently, "Her dad?"

She groaned, "Another drunk, but he was around… around and abusive"

He shook his head at the thought, "And your Aunt?"

"Strict. Used to use her bible to justify how she raised me…"

"Where is she?"

"Dead", She answered bluntly, "Died when I was sixteen. Cancer"

He squinted into the horizon. She noticed he was firing question after question, obviously feeling comfortable to ask her in the moment, than he had been previously, "You ever thought about finding your brother?"

She frowned at the notion, "I wouldn't even know where to look. I don't even know where they sent him… I don't think there'd be any point either"

"What makes you say that?"

She shrugged, "He's probably got his own life, I have mine… I don't even know if we'd feel like brother and sister anymore"

"It would probably take some getting used to…"

She glanced at him, returning the favour, "Would you find your brother?"

His lips pursed as he shook his head, "Nah… he never really like me…"

"What?"

"Yeah… you're not the only one that called me golden boy. He thought I was their favourite. Looking back at it, I can see why he thought that but it was because I always did what I was told so they kinda spoilt me. He wanted to live his own life… so he left and did just that"

She tilted her head as she looked up at him. While the conversation wasn't a pleasant one, they were sharing, and opening up to each other, which felt good, "I'm sure they're both fine"

He winced as he thought about it, not particularly giving her a reply back. She sighed, feeling deflated by the turn of events. Her eyes crept to her son, who was once again, fast asleep. She felt so glad that he would have a chance at a consistent, stable upbringing. She was determined to give that to him. But her gaze dropped when she thought of Carl. The little boy's life would change soon, and she would be the catalyst for that. It was another thing for her to feel guilty about, even though she had learned that his parents were both unhappy before she came back, she would always feel like the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Do you think it might be a good idea to… cool things off while you're handling everything at home?"

He looked at her with an eyebrow raised as they sat on a bench in the middle of the park, "What do you mean?"

She searched for the right words, "Well you're moving out… Carl's going to be confused… it's going to be a lot to-"

"Do you want to cool thangs off?", He sat up straighter, his eyes serious.

"I think… you have a lot to focus on right now-"

"And I'm handling it"

She furrowed her brow at him, "You are but I think your focus should be on dealing with all that for now…"

"Michonne-", He stopped and put his hand on his jean pocket, fishing for his phone as it rang.

Andre's hand clasped on to her finger as he slept in the crook of her arm. She turned her attentions to him as Rick answered the call.

"What?", His voice was low, almost a growl, causing her to look at him. His eyes were darting around on the ground as listened to the other person on the line, wincing every so often as he absorbed the information.

She waited patiently beside him.

He stood up and ran his hand over his face as he looked around the park, then turned his back to her as he hissed something down the line, before hanging up.

"Rick…"

He inhaled slowly as he turned to face her, "Mike got out of hospital"

She could have thrown her hands up in the air if she wasn't holding her son, but instead groaned, "Of course he did"

"They said he was making a phone call, I'm gonna assume it was the one he made to you earlier, and he managed to get away from the officer on watch"

She sighed, feeling deflated. She had only just started to feel free from him again, but she knew it wouldn't always be the case.

"You can't stay here. You know this is the first place he'll come"

Her mind began to race as she considered her next option. She thought of Tara, but her friend was already living in a small apartment with two others, "I'll stay in a motel"

Rick's chest seemed to puff, as if he was holding back an array of words to dismiss the idea.

She eyed him, already knowing what he would suggest, "No. I'm not stepping foot-"

"Just until we get him", He insisted, sitting back down, "They've already notified the department here, so they know to look out for him, and I doubt he'd be hard to spot in Kings County, no one knows him there…"

She continued to shake her head.

"Michonne, I know why you feel the way you do but I won't let anythan' bad happen to you again while you're there. And I won't be the only one looking out for you"

His point did nothing to phase her.

"Both of you will be safer there. Just until we find him-"

"You don't even know where he is", She countered.

"If he's still there then we'll find him because there's hardly anywhere to hide-"

"So then wouldn't it be safer for me to stay somewhere else until you do have a rough idea of where he is now?"

He ran his hands over his face in frustration, "What's the most he'll be on the run for? With everythan' we know about him? He'll need money, he'll need somewhere to stay, so he'll need you. Wherever he thinks you are is where he's heading, so that's where we'll be waiting for him, accept you won't be there"

She kept her gaze low as she listened to him, still whole heartedly against the idea.

"If you go somewhere else and he finds you and I don't get there in time, I will never forgive myself. Never. I promised you that I won't let him near you again and I meant it"

She wished he didn't have such away with words. All he wanted to do was keep her safe but she wished it wasn't in the place that seemed to bring her so much pain. She battled with the idea for a moment as she considered what to do. She was able to stay in the town undetected when it was just her, and she knew there was a possibility she could do it again.

"Fine", She breathed, squinting in the distance, "But as soon as you find him I'm gone"

"That's fine, as long as I know where you are", He sighed, looking substantially relieved.

She found herself in a bit of a predicament later that afternoon when they returned to her home. Packing up used to be a considerably easier thing for her to do, but with another person to take into account, it took a lot more thought.

Her son required more bags than she did. Rick sat with him while she gathered their things, anxiety slowly building in her chest.

"What about…", Rick eyed the snake tanks.

"I already fed them", She huffed as she slung her duffel bag on her shoulder.

He winced at her, adjusting the car seat in his arms.

"They don't eat everyday… more like every other week"

His eyes bulged, "What do you feed them?"

She grimaced, switching off the light, "You don't want to know"

He frowned at her, but continued to follow her out the home. A small pang of sadness hit her as she left her home. She knew it was only temporary, but she felt as if she was slowly reverting back to her old life. It didn't help that it was only hours beforehand that she was suggesting that the two of spend some time apart while he dealt with his own situation, and yet she was heading right back to the town she swore against, by his side.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 8:

"We've been asking around, we checked the hospital's surveillance cameras and he changed before he left, he had on a sweat suit, white shoes and he headed west. We checked all the motels in town but nothing, which leads us to believe that he's either sleeping rough or he might have help"

Rick sat back in his chair as he looked to the ceiling as he thought, "So someone got him the clothes and gave him somewhere to stay?"

"Possibly. It would explain why he went West; he would have had to walk through the hospital parking lot, and if he did have help then he probably had a lift", Sasha explained.

"We need to go to stores, ask around some more. Everybody knows everybody in this town, and he's not from around here, so he'd stick out like a sore thumb. Someone's seen him, I can promise you that"

"Are we sure he hasn't made his way to the girlfriend yet?", Leon queried, "What's the Atlanta department saying?"

"Nothing yet, but they're looking out", Sasha informed, "My brother's keeping me posted"

"Anyone spoke to the girlfriend?"

"She's safe. She's in town", Rick answered vaguely, "Staying in a motel. I talked with the owners, they know to call us if they see him again"

"Alright", Leon nodded, tapping the desk as he stood, "Then let's go"

Rick rose from his seat and quickly took out his phone to check for any messages. His device was glued to him, just in case Michonne called for whatever reason.

While he did prefer that she stayed in town so he could easily get to her if need be, he still worried, primarily about Mike finding her, but also about Lori finding out she was there. He hadn't forgotten that Michonne had tried to initiate some kind of distance between them, and he knew if Lori somehow found her, it would only strengthened her argument.

His wife was still standing strong in her own argument. She hadn't spoken to Shane, despite the man calling their home numerous times. While he couldn't stand both of them for the moment, he didn't agree with the fact that she was avoiding him. Rick was tempted to allow his ex-best friend in his home, just so he could have his opportunity to talk to his wife.

"You gonna check on her after work?"

He glanced at Sasha as they stepped out the department together, "Yeah"

"I can do it to you know? We can take turns. I spoke to her for a little while when she was in hospital… she's nice. The baby's beautiful"

He smiled at her, "I'd appreciate that"

"Leon would too… though he talks too much so I don't think she'd like that"

They both snickered at her joke as they made their way over to the squad car. Rick was about to make his own quip, when he saw his mother making her way over to the department. He was tempted to continue on as if he hadn't seen her, but she was walking directly over to him.

"Go ahead, this won't take long", He instructed to Sasha, and she made her way around the vehicle.

"Rick", His mother sighed as she stopped in front of him, pulling off her dark sunglasses.

"I'm on duty so make it quick", His expression was indifferent as he shifted his weight to the other foot.

His mother raised an eyebrow at him, "I understand you gave Lori divorce papers?"

"I did"

She narrowed her eyes at him, "So you're really going through with this?"

He stepped back to look at her, "You thought this was a game?"

"I thought you saw sense!", She hissed at him, "Taking that woman out the hospital with her child, and my grandchild there, like your one big happy family-"

"So you spoke to Lori?"

She straightened up, "Of course I did-"

"And she told you she was pregnant?"

Her face fell, "She's pregnant? What? Why didn't she-"

"Because Shane's the father"

His mother looked like she had seen paranormal activity before her very eyes, "You're a liar"

"Ask her. Ask Shane. Ask her parents. Ask Shane's ex-girlfriend, there's plenty of people around to confirm it-"

"Oh my god…", She held her pearls, "What? When?"

"They were sleeping together-"

"Keep your voice down!", She whispered harshly at him, "Who else knows?"

Rick shrugged, "I don't know. You should probably ask her"

"Lord…", She breathed, her eyes darting around aimlessly, "What the hell is wrong with you two? No. No, we… we can… this can-"

"We're divorcing. I'm moving out"

The little colour left in her face drained, "What do you mean you're moving out?"

"I'm moving out", He repeated slowly, "We aren't together anymore"

Her chest rose and fell slower, and her brow dropped to a straight line, "What about the house?"

"Well that was actually somethan' I wanted to talk to you about. I figured you wouldn't mind her staying there with Carl and all…"

His mother winced at him, before spinning on her heel and storming back to her own car. Rick watched her for only a moment, before sighing and heading over to the squad car, where Sasha sat with wide eyes, watching the exchange.

"Catching up?", She asked sarcastically as he got in the driver's seat.

He glanced at her, "Oh yeah. Just some mother and son… catching up"

He didn't know how his mother would handle the fact that Lori was pregnant. He imagined that his parents and his wife parents would probably all sit around and discuss it until they were blue in the face, trying to figure out a way to trap the two of them together.

Most of his work day was spent talking to residents and shop owners, hoping someone could come up with some information about Mike. He was determined to get the man in a cell and he wouldn't stop until he did. The thought of Michonne having to live in fear while he was out there made him sick with anxiety.

"Have you seen this man around at all?"

Sasha held up the picture of Mike they had taken in the hospital when he had woken up. The owner of the gas station stood behind the counter at squinting to see it then, his eyes popped open.

"Oh, he was in here, just this morning actually?", he nodded as he recalled the memory.

Rick stepped forward as his ears perked up, "You sure it was him?"

"Tall man? Dark skinned? Am I right?"

Sasha nodded, "He was in here, Max?"

"Yeah he came in, got some cigarettes and some band aids then left"

"Was he with anyone?", Rick pressed.

"He came in by himself… I didn't look to see if he left with anyone, I had another customer right after him"

Rick looked outside the store, "You have any cameras set up anyone here?"

The man nodded, "Yeah, in the back, come around"

"You go ahead, let me make a phone call", Rick informed Sasha.

She gave him a single nod and followed Max into the back of the store, while Rick took out his phone.

"Hey", Michonne answered, and he could immediately hear the high pitched cry of a baby in the background, "Hold on a sec…"

"Take your time", He insisted, scanning the store.

"There you go Peanut…", the crying stopped, and she huffed, "Sorry about that"

"Don't be... Peanut?", Rick repeated the nickname with a smile.

"He looks like a peanut, don't you think?"

He chuckled as he thought about it, "Now that you mention it… I guess so"

"So what can I do for you deputy?"

"Uh, you haven't seen or heard anythan', have you?"

"From Mike? No. No calls… and I haven't left the room so I haven't seen anything either"

He slowly nodded, as if she could see him.

"Why? Have you heard anything?"

"Yeah… he was at the gas station this morning, we're just about to check over the cameras…"

She was quiet for moment, "So he's still here?"

"There's a chance… did he know anyone out here? Family or anythan'?"

"No… not that I know of any way… why?"

He bit the inside of his cheek, "We think he might be getting help but… we're not sure"

"Great", She sighed sarcastically.

"We're working on it"

"I know you are, it's just… never-ending"

"It'll end", He enforced, noticing a customer in the store, "I've gotta go but I'll stop by later alright?"

"Alright. Bye"

"Bye.", He turned to the customer and called out, "Hold on just a sec"

The woman nodded as she waited by the counter. Rick headed to the back of the store and yelled in the doorway, "Max! You're needed out here!"

A few moments later the man stepped out in the small hallway, "You can go in there, I just showed the lady the tape it's all recorded on"

Rick nodded as he passed him, stepping into the small room that doubled as a closet. Rick stood by behind Sasha as she sat at a small desk, wincing at the small TV screen.

"He's got a pretty old school set up here but I think I saw him…. Coming up after this guy in the red gets served"

Rick leaned forward as he squinted at the screen, "That one?"

"Yep. I can't see where he's coming from though… look there. You see him at the door, walking in-"

"He must have come from the direction then", Rick pointed at the corner of the screen, "The furthest pump is that way, so if he got out of a car it would make sense"

"So we're looking for a vehicle too"

The both watched Mike on the screen getting served by Max in silence as they waited for any other clues to appear.

"Alright look, he leaves and goes off in the same direction", Sasha commented quietly, her finger poised on the remote.

Rick refused to blink so he didn't miss anything, but then his eyes popped open, "Stop right there"

Sasha paused the tape, "I saw it, I can't see a license plate from this angle, but it looks like a Ford… blue or black?"

Rick winced at the screen as he recognised the vehicle, "It is. It's blue"

"I can see a pair of white hands on the steering wheel"

Rick's blood ran cold as he straightened up, his mind racing, "That looks like…"

Sasha looked up at him wearing a pensive expression as she tried to follow his trail of thought, "Who?"

Rick held his breath, "Lori's car"

Sasha's face fell blank as she looked back at the screen, leaning forward further, "...Rick, it could be anyone-"

"What time was that?"

"Uh… ten on the dot"

"Carl would have been at school… she would have had the chance-"

"How would she know Mike? I mean she knew about Michonne-"

"She found Michonne's room at the hospital. I don't know how but when I was there she turned up", Rick dragged his hand over his face.

"You think someone at the hospital told her?"

Rick frowned as he thought, "I definitely didn't… either someone from the hospital filled her in or… someone from our side"

Sasha stood up, "You don't think it was Shane?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, thinking harder, "I don't think so… all this happened when things went sour between the two of them...but we can still check"

"I'll take Leon with me to talk to him…"

"I'm gonna go and talk to Lori", Rick hissed as he pressed the eject button on the VCR and took the cassette, "Come on"

He hoped his wife truly didn't have anything to do with Mike's escape, but he couldn't deny that there was more than enough for her to do such a thing. She was desperate, he knew she was, but if she helped him, then it was beyond Rick's hands. His wife could be held criminally responsible for helping him, that would be something she'd be unable to hide.

His mind was still spinning when he arrived home, after dropping Sasha back at the department. He could hear his son with his mother in the kitchen, laughing heartily. He took his windbreaker off and hung it on the stair rail as he walked down the hall. He stood at the kitchen door watching them play by the sink; Carl was kneeling on the chair as he helped his mother wash the dishes, looking up at her with happy eyes.

"You having fun there buddy?", Rick grinned at his son as he made his presence known.

"Hi dad! Me and mom are cleaning up!", Carl beamed at him.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself", He chuckled as he approached him, kissing him on the head, "How was school?"

"We made volcanos! Let me get mine"

Rick helped his son down before he dived off the chair, "Hold on, let's just dry those hands of yours first"

Rick grabbed the hand towel from beside Lori and dried his son before he disappeared out the room. He leaned against the counter and listened to the little footsteps rush up the stairs before he spoke again, "What did you do today Lori?"

Her brows dropped to a straight line as she nearly glanced over her shoulder at him, "You care now?"

He watched her, "I do. What did you do?"

She smirked, "Great. Well I went to the store, stopped by my parents, had lunch with Jessie Anderson then I came home… started dinner then went and got Carl"

He nodded, "Which store did you go to?"

"The grocery store?", She repeated in a tone that seemed to suggest it was the obvious answer.

"Straight after you dropped Carl at school?"

She turned to him, "Shortly after, yes I did, why? Why are you asking me these questions?"

"Then you went straight to your parents?"

"Yes I did, why?"

"So If I went to the store… checked the security cameras, it would show you shopping, then get in your car, and turning left to go to your parents? Cause that's the way you'd go, you'd have no reason to turn right because that wouldn't lead you to your parents' house…"

She eyes him suspiciously, "What's going on here? Why are you asking me these questions? You're talking to me like I'm a criminal or something?"

"Answer the question", He crossed his arms as he looked at her sternly.

She stared at him, her eyes pin balling all over his face, "I came home before I went straight to my parents"

He slowly inhaled as Carl came back in the room, with his small volcano made out of play dough, "Oh wow! Look at that!"

"I painted it myself", Carl volunteered proudly.

"You did an amazing job buddy. We need to find somewhere to put that up in your room don't we?"

"Yeah", Carl nodded.

"Go put it back and we'll figure it out together. Now go wash up for dinner please"

Carl scurried away happily, while Rick stood from his crouched position, looking at Lori.

She turned back to the sink, "Are you going to tell me why you're asking where I was?"

"I was hoping you'd tell the truth... not make me drag it out of you".

Her head moved an inch in his direction, "I told you, I went to the store, then I came home-"

"You forgot about the gas station…"

She froze, her hand frozen under the running water.

Rick watched her, waiting for her reply.

"I… I don't know what your-"

"He used to hit her you know. I've seen some of the things he's said to her. That day at the fair… he shoved another pregnant woman, then dragged her to the car… could of killed all three of them"

Lori's head was turned to him but her eyes were downcast.

"How'd you find him?"

She shook her head, "I don't know what your-"

"You could be charged for this, you realise that don't you?"

Her eyes widened as she spun around to face him.

"He's facing charges for harassment, assault, unlawful restraint, aggressive and reckless driving… and if you helped him in anyway then you can be charged with aiding and abetting"

"I.. I-I wasn't… I didn't, I mean", She slapped her hand on her forehead, "I was trying to… I didn't mean to-"

"Start from the beginning. How'd you find him? How'd you find out who he was?"

Her breathing swallowed, "Sharon. The nurse… I asked her about… _her_ … told her I was a friend… she told me everything… I really just wanted to know about her but she started babbling on about him to…"

Rick folded his arms again as he watched her.

"After we had that argument… I went up to the floor he was on… asked the nurse there to give him my number… I just gave her the same story… I was an old friend… he called me the next day and I talked to him, told him who I was… I never condoned what he did, and I told him that, I said if he wants her back then he has to apologise and treat her right…"

His top lip curled as he listened to his wife's cold plan, "You get him the clothes? Did you help him escape?"

She shook her head, "No, that was all him, he wanted out… I just met up with him later… told him the same thing… apologise and treat her right-"

"Where were you going today?"

"I just met up with him and drove around again...he wanted to know about… the two of you...I told him I didn't know much, just that you were in love with her...I took him to get cigarettes then dropped him off at the edge of town"

"You don't know where he's staying?"

She shook her head again, "I think in an abandoned house or something...he said he doesn't know anyone here but he's looking for a ride to the city"

He bit the inside of his cheek as he looked to the ceiling, trying to figure out what his next move would be.

"I just wanted her to leave you alone. I wanted her to go back with him and you to come back to me…", She ran her hands over her hair, "He doesn't even seem like that bad of a guy-"

He ignored her, "You have his number?"

"No. He calls me, usually off pay phones or something…"

"The next time he calls you, your gonna arrange to meet up with him, I don't care where, just make sure you tell me about it before hand. You help us get him back and you might not get charged with anythan', probably suspended sentence of somethan'-"

"I never meant to-"

"Lori. Please", He pinched his nose bridge, "Just… please"

To say he was drained would be an understatement. To say he was shocked would also be an understatement. He couldn't for the life of him, begin to understand how his wife felt so comfortable assisting Mike, but he realised she was more desperate than he thought.

He ate dinner with his son, and put him to bed before changing out of his uniform and leaving his home to check on Michonne and her son. It was late, but he had to see that they were fine before he could rest for the day. With Mike still in town, he found himself on high alert, his eyes scanning the streets as he drove, just in case he saw the man in question.

The motel in question wasn't that busy when he arrived, only a few cars in the parking lot. Rick pulled on his baseball cap, not wanting to draw attention to himself and effectively, the reason he was there. He felt bad that they had to stay locked in the room all day but he hoped it would be only temporary.

"Hey", Michonne smiled tiredly as she opened the door.

"You okay?", He asked in a hushed tone as he slipped inside, closing the door behind him.

The room was nicely decorated, though small. The bed was in the middle of the room, with a desk in front of it and a small TV up on the wall. Rick squinted as he looked for her son, after not seeing him in his swing chair. His eyes stopped on the bed, when he saw the smallest lump right in the centre.

"He's right here", She giggled, watching him.

"I was wondering where he was", He shook his head, "He's so small I almost didn't see him"

"He's out cold ", She sat on the edge of the bed, and he sat in front of her on the small arm chair, "Anything?"

He sighed as he rested his elbows on his knees, "Yeah. He is still in town. He's looking for a ride to the city"

She raised her eyebrows, "How'd you know?"

He exhaled as he scoffed, "My wife. She's been talking to him… she found out about him when she was looking for you at the hospital...they've been talking since… she's the one that's helping him"

Michonne's mouth hung open.

"Yeah. She wanted you two to get back together so the two of us could. Well… that's what she was hoping for anyway"

Her shoulders fell, "That's…"

"Yeah. You don't need to say anythan', I know. And I'm sorry"

She frowned, "Why?"

"Because...I'm the reason she even got involved-"

"She's a big girl, Rick. She knew what she was doing. She didn't have to do all that but… she did"

"I'm still sorry…", He huffed, rubbing his hands on his face.

She took hold of them, and placed hers there instead, "You need to rest"

He rested his hands over hers as he closed his eyes, "I'm sure you do too"

She smirked, "Nah. Peanut doesn't like that"

He chuckled quietly, "Neither does Carl. It's a kid thang I guess"

"It probably is"

"...How's Tara?"

"I spoke to her last night after you left. She said she'll come down and see me before she pops"

"You tell her everythan'?"

She nodded, "She said doesn't mind hanging out here with us"

"...Where did you meet her?"

"Prenatal yoga class…"

"She seems nice…"

"She is…"

He immediately noticed how her eyes flickered downwards when she breathed the words.

She kissed him on the head, and his mood calmed, "Let's lay down for a while"

He nodded, pushing himself out the seat. She lay down across the bed, facing Andrea, and Rick was behind her, his arm around her waist and his face in her neck. Her hand found his and their fingers intertwined.

"How's your wrist?"

She snorted, "Itchy"

He laughed against her skin, "It'll get better"

"It will… it all will"

He lifted his head and kissed her shoulder, "It will".

She sighed happily, her thumb stroking his.

Rick didn't want to dampen the mood, but he had to ask her, "Do you feel guilty?... because of Andrea?"

She tensed against him, but still nodded, "Everyday".

His brow furrowed, "Tell me why?"

She inhaled, ready to bare it all, "I feel… guilty that I've made friends...that I have you...that I have him...everything she didn't get to have"

His eyes snapped shut as he rested his head against hers, "That's not your fault."

She sniffed, "I know. I _do_ know but, I can't help it… I miss her… I like to pretend that she's not really dead, that she's out there somewhere… at a bar, getting drunk and kissing boys…"

He gently nodded as he listened.

She sighed, her voice barely a whisper, "It doesn't hurt as much anymore…"

He didn't know what to say, but he didn't really think he should say anything anyway. He just held her in his arms while she reopened old wounds, and nothing else mattered in that moment for either of them.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 9:

Lori waved goodbye to her son as he disappeared in the crowd of children. She never thought she'd envy her son, but he had no idea about what was going on between his parents and she wished to switch places with him. She sighed, turning back to her car, tucking her waved hair behind her ear.

"Hey Lori!"

She tensed at the sound of the familiar voice, her head whipping around to face the other mother, "Hey Pam-"

"How are you? I haven't seen you all week?", the dark hair women looked at her with concern as she planted herself in front of her, "Everythan' alright?"

Lori quickly nodded, "Yes, fine, it's just… we've been thinking about redecorating, so I've been trying to reach arrange the house"

"Oh nice!", the woman nodded, a smile appearing on her face, but only for a second, as she soon leaned closer, her tone dropping, "Well I actually wanted to ask you about somethan' I heard…"

Lori's heart began to thump wildly in her chest, "What?"

"Now, I don't want to have you worry, but someone saw Rick leaving the hospital with that black woman, the one who had the car crash? He was holding her child and everythan'..."

Lori nearly stuttered, but covered the blunder with a light chuckle, "Yes he did, he's an officer. It's his job to help people, especially someone in her position"

Pam's eyes widened, "See now, that's what I thought too! Obviously the girls in some trouble so he has to help her out-"

"Exactly. He was escorting her home, and she doesn't have anyone else to help her so… it was nothing"

"I knew it, but people here just love to gossip", Pam tutted as she shook her head, "I have a feeling it was that Mrs Lucy that's been spreading it. She's trying to take the attention away from the fact that her and her husband got into it at the grocery store the other week. You know he snapped? Started yelling at her in front of everyone… it must have been so embarrassing…"

Lori tried to behave normally, nodding her head as the listened to the short tale.

"I think we need to leave her out of the next community meeting", Pam suggested with narrowed eyes, "She has been nothing but a pain lately. Turning up in those skimpy dresses, her and her husband scowling at each other when they think we don't see. They're heading for a divorce and we want no part in any of that"

"That's right…", Lori agreed, her eyes wandering all over the place, "Hey Pam, I have to get to the hardware store, I wanted to get a few paint samples for Rick to look at-"

"Oh yes, go on. We'll catch up later!"

Lori felt light headed. She couldn't believe how her life had changed so quickly, and it was making her sick to her stomach. She wished she harboured the ability to turn back time, but truth be told, she didn't even know when it all went so wrong.

She wished she'd checked the mail more meticulously. If she had seen that card from Michonne, she would have set fire to it, and Rick would have never thought to look for her. She had always known that the woman was Rick's first choice. While she had never seen the two of them together, she saw how he was after she left all those years ago. He was a mess, but she was determined to draw him out of his depression. As far as Lori was concerned, the two of them were meant to be together, as they looked like the perfect couple on paper. Her parents had always told her that he was the person she was destined to marry, and she could understand why. They should have fit together.

Though, If she would allow herself to be completely honest, it was Shane that she secretly pined for. It was only a few years before hand that she noticed how attractive her husband's best friend was. He was lively, charming and funny. The more time he spent around their family, the more she wondered what It would have been like, if she had ended up with him instead.

But she wasn't a stupid woman. She knew it would never happen, and that was mainly the reason she settled for sleeping with him. It was something to look forward to, something that kept her feeling young and desirable. She loved stealing little glances at Shane when Rick wasn't aware, or buying lingerie especially for their trysts. Seeing Shane was the highlight of her day, sometimes her week, and it left her feeling empty when he called it off.

She understood why. He felt horrible for betraying his best friend that way, and she also did to an extent. She cared about Rick, but not as much as she was expected to as his wife.

 _I need to speak with you._

Lori froze when she read the text message from her mother in law. She had been avoiding the woman since news of her pregnancy broke. Her parents had even advised her to wait to tell them, as it could quite possibly change everything.

She sat in her car for a moment, her chest rising and falling considerably slower. She snapped her eyes closed, shaking her head as she gathered herself. It was something she had to deal with, so she straightened up and started the vehicle.

The drive felt quicker than usual, and she wasn't sure if that was because she was hoping to bide sometime.

Rick's parents' home was a large one, with a white picket fence and a bright red door. It was the kind of home she hoped to live in someday, as it was very similar to her parents. She climbed out of the car, smoothing back her hair and fixing her flowing dress. She was purposely wearing clothing that didn't cling to her as her waist had started to thicken.

The sound of heels could be heard pounding towards the door, and her mother in law snatched open the door. Her eyes travelled up and down Lori, before she turned back into the home, leaving the door open for her to follow.

"Mr Grimes isn't home… and I'm glad, as I wouldn't have known how to tell him about… this. He'd probably have a heart attack if he knew", Her mother in law sat down in the armchair and crossed her legs, her eyes stern and her mouth tight.

"Leslie, I can explain-"

"Your pregnant, with Walsh's baby. Please do?"

Lori sat down with a huff, "It was never meant to happen-"

"You're damn right it was never meant to happen! After everythan' you witnessed between me and my son, you have the audacity to present such a scandal to me! You didn't even have the guts to tell me! Rick did! And if I hadn't have seen him I know he wouldn't have said anythan'!", The woman's face contorted in anger, "We spoke just yesterday! You didn't even say somethan' then! But Shane already knows, his ex-girlfriend knows-"

"His ex-girlfriend?", Lori repeated with a furrowed brow.

Leslie's top lip curled, "Oh, don't you dare, missy. That is the last thing you should be worried about!"

Lori tucked her hair behind her ears, her eyes wandering all around the room, "I don't know what to do. Rick's already planning on moving out as soon as possible, and he's pressuring me to sign the divorce papers… my parents even tried to talk to him but he just won't listen-"

"You need to figure somethan' out. And quick", Leslie ordered harshly, "Because if my son moves out of that home, then there's is no way we can allow you to keep living there with that other child of yours"

Lori's shoulders fell and her mouth fell agape.

"That home was for my son and his family to live in. That child you're carrying isn't his, and neither of you will be Grimes anymore if you sign those divorce papers", Leslie stared at her with cold eyes, "So unless you can convince my son to stay with you and raise that… child... as his own-"

"You can't do this to me! After all I've done for your family's name!"

Leslie's face pinched at her words, "What did _you_ do?"

"I still got with him, even after everyone was talking about him getting together Michonne-"

"Oh honey, we could have found another ' _you_ ' regardless. All you did was flick your hair and bat your eyelids at a few dinners. I'm the one that went into overdrive cleaning up that damn mess, so don't you dare. Don't you dare try to take credit for that", the older woman sneered, "So as I said, you better-"

"Her boyfriend. Michonne's boyfriend. I'm trying to get them back together", Lori hurriedly explained, "If she gets back with him then Rick will stay with me. I know he will"

The older woman raised her eyebrow at her, "You're in contact with the man?"

"He escaped from the hospital… the police are looking for him but I'm trying to get he and Michonne back together before they catch him-"

"And what makes you think she'll want him back? The man abused her, if I'm not mistaken?"

Lori's mind raced, "I'm working with him-"

"That's a very, very poorly thought out plan Lori", Leslie almost growled, "You're helping a wanted man, and if you get caught then you'll be in trouble to, and then everyone will know that you opened your legs to your husband's best friend! Did you not think about that?!"

"I won't get caught! I know what I'm doing!"

Leslie balled her fists, cursing under her breath, "You better hope, this little plan of yours works, or else you won't have to worry about where to live because you'd be in a damn cell"

"She'll take him back. She will. I'm going to make sure of it… I just need to work on-", Lori's phone rang loudly in her purse, and she quickly retrieved it.

"Is that him?", Leslie probed, sitting forward.

Lori nodded, before answering, "Mike?"

"Where are you? I need some more cigarettes", the man demanded with a husky tone.

"I'll bring them to you, I can't be caught driving around with you in my car", Lori countered.

"I want to get to a bus station or something. Get out of this hick town-"

"What? Why?", Lori began to panic.

"Because I'm sick of hiding here! I need to leave-"

"What about Michonne? We need to find her so you can talk to her-"

"She's probably shacked up with that cop husband of yours-"

"Exactly!", Lori insisted as she stood up, starting to pace, "How does that make you feel? You don't like that, right? She's yours. She has your son. They're not his, they are yours, your property and you need to fight for them!"

Mike was silent for a moment, "They are mine-"

"The longer you're away from them, the more he believes that he has them. That's your family, you own them, not him. You need to find Michonne, and you need to remind her that you are the person she loves and that the two of you can really make things work this time. If you don't then, you'll have lost her. She'll think she can be with someone else… and she can't. She belongs to _you_ "

Mike was silent again, before finally barking, "Your right! We need to find her-"

"We will, okay? I'm working on it, so just sit tight, call me later and we'll arrange to meet up, okay?"

"Alright"

She hung up and sighed, slapping her hand to her forehead, "I need to find her. I know Rick knows where she is and I think she's in town. Every night he leaves after putting Carl to bed and he doesn't come back until late or in the morning"

Leslie stared at her with an expression she couldn't quite read. The woman eyed her, standing from her seat, "I really hope that this goes the way you plan, or else, you are going to have a shit storm to deal with"

"It will".

Lori hoped her plan worked too. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't worried about Mike, as the man did seem unstable. He could barely talk about Michonne without getting angry, his eyes darkening and his fists balled. She wanted to change that, as she didn't want the man to hurt her, or their child when they did reunite. She'd never be able to forgive herself if such a thing happened, but she wanted her family to stay intact, and she was willing to take the risk.

She left her in laws home and drove into town, hoping to find some indication of where her husband's love interest was. She had thought about following Rick when he left, but she knew he was a smart man, and such a thing wouldn't be easy.

She was waiting to take a turn on to the next street when a police car flashed the siren behind her. She groaned, pulling over highly annoyed.

It was only when the officer approached her window, did she realise it was Shane, and she soon felt nauseous.

"I think we need to have a little talk", He breathed, resting both hands on his sides.

"I don't think so", She dismissed, looking straight ahead, out the windshield.

"This town isn't big enough for you to hide from me, Lori. I've been trying to call you for weeks now, I would have stopped by the house but I know Rick wouldn't have liked that-"

"What do you want?", She snapped, looking up at him with squinted eyes.

"I want to talk about our child-"

"This child has nothing to do with you-"

"Yes it does. I'm the father and I have a right to-"

"What do you think is going to happen? You think I can just let everyone know that I'm carrying your child and not my husbands?"

"I don't care about anyone one else! That child's mine, and I'm going to do the right thing for it!"

"Keep your voice down!", She breathed through the gritted teeth, "You will have nothing to do with this child, is that clear?"

Shane bowed his head, shaking it in disbelief, "I will. You can't stop me"

She frowned at him, "My parents will not allow you to-"

"You're still hiding behind your parents?", He scoffed, "You're a grown woman! You're just as bad as Rick! Hell, even he's come away from all that! You need to own up to your mistakes and deal with them, or else you're only going to make things worse-"

"Like you have? You've lost your best friend and your girlfriend now, haven't you? How does that feel?"

"It feels like shit but at least I'm not hiding anythan' anymore! I may have left it a little late but he knows, and I wasn't going to let you fool him into thinking that my child was his! You're breaking your neck to keep everythan' from coming out but you know what happens when you do that? It all comes spilling out in the worst way"

She inhaled, her hands gripping the steering wheel, "Who else have you told?"

He threw his hands in the air, "What does it matter? You seriously think you can stop this coming out? You won't even be able to hide it in a few months! And what are you gonna say then? You're gonna tell people it's Rick's? Then when he says it's not, then what?"

"This is none of your business!", She slammed her foot down on the pedal and pulled into the street angrily.

He was right. She didn't have the faintest idea of what she'd do if her plan didn't work, especially if her in laws were planning on throwing her out of her home. Rick wasn't even waiting for her to sign the divorce papers, he was moving out as soon as he could and then she'd really be stuck. She knew her parents would be more than happy to take her in, but she knew as soon as she'd step foot in their home, her reputation would be left in tatters.

She stopped by the petrol station and bought Mike his cigarettes, then stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner. She wanted to avoid the store, as that was one of the many places that the other wives would congregate, gossiping amongst each other. She would usually take part, but with everything that was going on with her life, she hadn't the time.

"Hey Lori! Oh, we haven't seen you here for a while!"

The two women smiled at her from behind their shopping carts, both still leaning close from their whispering. Lori gave a fake smile, "Hey Linda, Kate"

"We spoke to Pam a while ago-", Kate began.

"She told us about what happened. We just wanted you to know that we didn't believe it either". Linda finished, "You and Rick have always been so happy and you'd never be in such a position"

Lori tensed, but still chortled, "Oh, it's just idle gossip. I know Rick would just laugh if he heard it"

The women laughed, nudging each other and nodding, "That's what we thought"

Lucy sighed as her smile quickly faded, "Pam also told us that we won't be having Mrs Lucy around anymore. Her and her… problems have been leaking out into the open to much-"

"It's shameful", Kate hissed, "All that disgrace around her is just embarrassing-"

"You know they were here having an argument the other week? I saw the whole thing and let me tell you, I just had to leave because I couldn't have anyone think that I was involved in such infamy-"

"We don't have time for that at all. I'll tell my Jason not to serve her anymore, she can go out of town to get her homemade pies from now on-"

"And I'll tell Jeffrey to leave her car alone, too. She can get it towed to another mechanic"

Kate rolled her eyes, before they almost bulged, "You know who else is having problems? The Andersons"

Lori's couldn't listen any further, "I'm sorry ladies but I'm meant to be meeting my parents, but we'll catch up another time!"

"Oh, of course, we won't keep you-"

"Send your parents our love!", Linda waved, and Kate mimicked her.

Lori left the store shortly after parting from the women, and while she had no prior plans to see her parents, she chose to anyway, feeling like she was at the end of her tether. She could have easily imagined those women talking about her in such a way, but she was glad to have a higher social standing than Lucy, so the women wouldn't automatically turn on her. It would have been more ideal if Rick wasn't so open, but she knew he didn't care. He wasn't going to hide Michonne, which only made Lori's task even harder.

She parked in her parent's driveway, feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. She didn't expect the day to be such a draining one, but it was, and she was growing even more anxious as the hours passed.

"What's wrong dear?"

Her mother rested her hand on her back as they walked into the kitchen. Lori felt comfortable in her parents' home, and almost safe, hidden from the rest of the town.

"Everything is just… Rick gave me the divorce papers and he's moving out soon… I saw Shane today and he's not backing down… and on top of that all the women are talking about Rick taking his mistress home from the hospital after she had the baby…"

Her mother gasped, "Oh god"

"Yeah… I told them he was just escorting her home… they seemed to believe me but everything else…", Lori huffed, smoothing her hair back, "I spoke to his mother as well…"

"What?", Her mother sat down with raised eyebrows, "We told you to wait-"

"She knows. Rick told her. She said if he leaves then… I can't live at the house anymore"

Her mother looked stunned, her mouth hanging open, "She said that?"

"She did. She said that we'd no longer be Grimes, so we'd have to go"

"We should have known", The older women rubbed her forehead, "What did Shane want?"

Lori rolled her eyes, "He wants to be a part of the baby's life. Said he won't stop until he is"

"Oh great", her mother groaned, slapping her hand on the breakfast table, "And Rick?"

"Rick doesn't talk to me unless it's about Carl. I barely even see him. He comes home from work, spends his time with Carl until he goes to sleep and then he leaves. I know he's with her"

Her mother's eyebrows rose again, "Is she in town?"

"I think so. He's out every night so I figured she is"

"That hussy."

"Mom, I don't know what to do… I feel like I'm drowning here", Lori leaned closer to her mother, placing her hands over hers, as her eyes filled with tears, "Everything's just falling apart in front of my very eyes and I don't know how to stop it! Please mom, what do I do? Tell me what to do?"

"Oh honey-"

"Please! I don't know what to do, I'm so lost and I'm scared! I just want my life back!", She pleaded, the tears rolling down her cheek.

Her mother looked at her with sad eyes, "We'll think of something honey, don't you worry. We'll have to talk to Rick's parents, maybe even Rick-"

Lori blinked at her, then let go of her mother's hands angrily, "No! That won't work! I'm done talking to everyone! You have the money, you know the right people, make this go away, mom!"

"Lori, honey, you know it's not that easy-"

"Make it that easy!", Lori yelled, "You and dad have to! You wrote this life for me, so now you have to fix it! You said my life would be easy if I married him! You said I'd have the life every girl in this town wants! You lied to me! My life is falling apart and this is all your fault! You pushed me to marry him so you have to fix this! Now!"

"We will try-"

Lori slammed her fist on the table, "Don't try! _Do it_!"

"Alright honey, please, just calm down, okay? I promise you, we will fix this", her mother insisted, taking her hands in hers again, "We won't let any of this get out, and your father and I won't stop until we find a way"

Lori calmed, her breathing returning to normal.

"We'll figure out how to keep Shane quiet and we'll make sure Rick doesn't go anywhere. We're going to do this for you, so don't you worry about it, alright honey?"

Lori nodded in a childlike manner, wiping her eyes, "Okay".

"It's all going to be just fine".


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 10:

"I think you need to come around more often. He was cranky all day... and now look",

Rick peered down at the Andre, who had curled up, fast asleep on his chest, wearing a bright red baby grow with white soles, "I think we just have a mutual understanding when it comes to rest. A man needs his rest"

Michonne snorted as she walked around the bed, dressed in an oversized basketball jersey, "Oh please-"

"It's true. Look at him, he's a happy boy right now. I wish I could do the same", He closed his eyes, resting his hands on either side of the tiny body, "I used to do this with Carl, until he got big enough to crush me"

"Carl is still pretty small, so stop it", She giggled as she gathered up her clothes, dropping them on the foot of the bed, "I'd love to see him again"

"I'd love to bring him with me, but I know he'd get bored and wanna go somewhere…", Rick sighed, his eyes rolling open.

"Back to that truck stop?", She joked, "I think even I'd love to go back there"

"You and your love affair with burgers-"

"It's not a love affair, it's a very healthy, relationship-"

"You can't put the word ' _healthy_ ' in the same sentence as ' _truck stop_ '. It doesn't work like that, am afraid-"

She threw one her socks at him, but he caught it before it could land.

"Good aim", He raised his eyebrows at her as he threw it back to her, "We'll go back there. All of us. We just gotta wait a while…"

Her smile slowly faded as she nodded, balling the sock up with its other pair.

"My wife said she hadn't heard from Mike but… I don't believe her. I really don't"

"You think she's still in contact with him?", She sat on the bed, facing him as she grabbed pieces from the clothes pile and began to fold them.

"I do… I'm certain actually."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Follow her. I have to. The only other person who knows that she's in contact with him, is Sasha… so I'm gonna have her with me"

Michonne stopped what she was doing and rested her hands on her lap, "She needs to be careful. She shouldn't even be talking to him...he doesn't care about anyone but himself"

Rick considered her concerns, "I figured as much. He seems to have a problem with keeping his hands to himself too..."

"Exactly. He's dangerous and she should stay away from him"

"That's why we have to follow her… I mean you obviously know him better than any of us but I think if he showed her anythan' she didn't like then she wouldn't still be talking to him...", Rick stopped talking when Andre squirmed, rubbing his little face into Rick's shirt, "Alright, I'll put you down so you can sleep in peace"

Michonne had laid out a blue baby blanket beside him, and he gently lifted Andre off his chest and on to the bed. He dropped back down gingerly, holding his hands out to Michonne, and she soon climbed on top of him, resting her head on his chest, her leg between his, facing her son.

He fingers began to stroke up and down her back, "This will all be over soon. I'll make sure of it"

"I know… I just want to start to have a normal life… well… whatever 'normal' is…", He imagined her rolling her eyes as she said the word 'normal'.

He smirked at her.

"I want to take him places… like to the zoo or the aquarium… I want go to those mom and baby groups and brag about him like he's some kind of genius…", She smiled as she confessed her wishes, "I want him to grow up knowing I'll always be there… I don't want him to ever think I won't be…I just want to be a better parent than… well, anyone in my family"

He nodded, though he knew she couldn't see him, "You ever wanna have more?"

She looked up, her eyebrow raising at him, "Are you asking?"

He imagined the colour had probably drained from his face, "I was just… I mean-"

She cackled quietly as she crept further up him and rested on her forearms on either side of his head, "Rick Grimes, after all these years, you are still so adorable"

"That wasn't funny", He sneered.

"It was", She toyed with his hair, "I think I'd love to have another one day… but I still need to get the hang of peanut first"

He mentally prepared himself for the next question he had for her, "You still don't wanna get married though?"

She stilled, her eyes examining his, "It's not something I think about"

He always knew that was the case, she'd let him know that the first time they met, and yet, it still hurt him to hear that's how she felt, even after everything they'd been through.

"You didn't like that answer…", She sighed, her gaze moving from his.

"It's not that I didn't like it…", He lied, "It's just, I thought that was something most people work towards"

"I know… but I'm not most people. And just because I may not want to get married, doesn't mean I don't love you, or I don't want to be with you… it's just not something-"

"You love me?", He repeated, a bashful smile forming on his face.

She shared a similar look, "I… do"

"Is that how you're telling me? In the middle of a little speech about the cons of marriage?"

She bit back a chuckle, "You know me. I'm not the conventional type"

His eyes drank in the sight of her, "I thought I'd be the one to say it first…"

"Well I beat you to it, didn't I?"

"You did but… I probably love you more", He breathed, still stroking her lower back.

She leaned down and pressed her lips against his. He still hadn't gotten over how good it felt to kiss her, or to hold her in his arms. She parted her lips, allowing tongue to slip inside and explore her mouth. It quickly dawned him, however, that they weren't alone.

He tapped her on her thigh, and she gave him one last peck before climbing off him, "I should probably get going"

"Yeah…", She sat on her leg, bent beneath her, "Thanks for dinner. I'll get the next one… well, when we can leave"

He took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles, "Soon".

He left Michonne that night with a smile from ear to ear. Hearing her say that she loved him and wanted to be with him made him giddy, and he had almost forgot about everything else they had to deal with.

He was swiftly reminded when he arrived home, and he could hear his wife on the phone upstairs on the landing. He closed the door painfully slow, hoping not to make her aware of his arrival. He stepped over to the bottom of the stairs and tried to listen, but he couldn't hear her clearly, so he peeled off his boots and tip toed up the steps.

"What did I tell you?..."

He froze when he was near the top step and he could hear her much more clearly. He could only see her back as she stood facing their bed, her bedroom door ajar, still swaying slightly, as if she had just entered the room.

"...Okay? So just give me a call tomorrow… Alright…"

He stepped on to the landing just as she opened the bedroom door. She gasped, stumbling back when she saw him, her eyes darting all over the place.

"Jesus Christ!", she hissed at him, "You scared me! I didn't even hear you come in"

He pushed open his bedroom door in front of him and three his boots in, before turning back to her, "Any word from Mike?"

She shook her head, "No. Nothing yet"

He slowly nodded, deciding in that moment that he didn't want push the subject of her phone call. He needed her to think that he believed her, and he wanted her to continue on with her own little plan, "Alright. You need to call me if you do".

"I will. I swear I will", She nodded hurriedly.

He turned back to his door and stepped inside, feeling anger brew in the pit of his stomach. He was beginning to hate the woman for her conniving side. He could barely look at her for too long, as all he could see was his own mother, which quite frankly, mortified him.

The next morning he behaved as he usually would have, talking to his son at the breakfast table and only interacting with his wife when his son did. He showered and dressed for the day, kissing Carl on the forehead before leaving his home. He acted as if he was going to work, when in actual fact he had only gone to the police department to pick up Sasha, and an unmarked squad car.

"Do you think she'll even meet him today?"

Rick watched Lori make her way back to her own vehicle in front of Carl's school, after partaking in a brief discussion to two other mothers by the entrance, "That phone call sounded like a panicked one. I don't know what his problem was but she was reassuring him about somethan'..."

"Where did she say he was staying?", Sasha questioned as he started the car and turned on to the street a few seconds after Lori.

"Somthan' about an abandoned house on the edge of town… I don't even think I believe that"

"Well he's definitely not at any of the motels. We checked them all, and showed everyone his picture"

He squinted through the windshield, as they pulled on to the next street, his attentions town between driving and looking at his wife, "She looks like she's on the phone"

"She might be heading straight for him. We need to call this in, get a few people on standby"

Rick glanced at Sasha as she picked up the receiver for the radio. While he didn't interrupt her, he wasn't sure how he felt about including his fellow deputies. As much as he wanted to distance himself from Lori for what she had done, he didn't wish for any harm to come to her, and involving others could put her in harm's way when around Mike. Rick focused on the fact that she was still Carl's mother, and he still cared about her wellbeing, even though he wasn't in a rush to admit it.

They followed his wife for quite some time before Rick realised where she was going, "She is heading to the edge of town… we need to hang back. She'll have to come back this way no matter what"

"A trailer park? You think that's where he's hiding?"

"She hasn't got any other reason to come down here…"

Rick parked the squad car in front of one of the mobile homes, and the two of them sat back as they watched Lori's vehicle come to a rolling stop next to a trailer. She appeared to be waiting for something too, and after quite a moment of waiting, a familiar white male appeared, strolling up to Lori's car, holding a beer can in his hand, a dirty white tank top and his pants hanging from his waist.

"Merle?", Rick squinted through the windshield.

"You know him?", Sasha probed.

"An old friend's brother. Haven't seen him around in years either… the man's a drunk… well, that's the least of his problems anyway"

Merle and Lori's conversation didn't last long at all, as the man soon stood up straight, now holding a large brown envelope, while Lori began to reverse, and both deputies sank in their seats as she whizzed past them.

"Get someone over here to talk to him", Rick instructed as he watched the vehicle in his side mirror while starting the car, "He has somethan' to do with this. You see that envelope she handed him? Looked like she was paying him for somethan'-"

"I'm on it"

Rick was on his wife tail again as she drove back into town. He was a little disappointed that she didn't lead them directly to Mike, but he knew the day was still young.

He hardly listened to Sasha's orders on the receiver, as he began to recognise the route his wife was taking, muttering to himself, "Shit"

Lori pulled into the motel where Michonne was staying, and Rick parked in the next lot, beside the grocery store, watching his wife with eagle eyes as he yanked his phone from his jacket pocket.

"Should we stop her?", Sasha already had her hand on the door handle.

"No", He brought the phone up to his ear after finding Michonne's number, waiting for her to answer, "We might be able to trap him if she brings-"

"Hey", Michonne answered, her tone sweet as if she was smiling, "I was just thinking-"

"Michonne, I need you to listen to me. Lori's at the motel and she's on her way up to you right now-"

"What?"

"She's heading up to your room now. She found out where you are and I suspect she's coming to talk to you so I need you to listen to me-"

"What the hell Rick?"

"I know, I know. But I need you to talk to her, and I need you to go along with whatever she's saying, because she'll probably end up bringing Mike to you and then we can catch him-"

"Rick-"

"He won't get anywhere near either of you. You know I wouldn't let that happen, but we need to trap him, and I need your help to do that"

Lori reached Michonne's door, and Rick heard the knock through the phone, "Oh my god"

"Is Andre sleeping?"

"He is", Michonne's tone lowered.

"Just step outside the room then. Don't let her in"

He knew Michonne hesitated, but she soon agreed "Fine"

"We're watching everything, okay? We can see her so we'll be able to see you"

"Okay, fine. Bye"

Rick and Sasha both sat forward in their seats with anticipation. Lori was looking around, over the balcony on the second floor of the motel when Michonne stepped into sight. Lori turned to face her, and the conversation ensued. Rick could almost imagine what Lori was saying as she tucked her hair behind her ear, fidgeting as she stepped from one foot to another. It was something she did when she was anxious or nervous about something. Michonne had her head tilted as she looked at Lori, her mouth barely moving.

"I have a feeling this is what she was paying Merle for… he found her", Rick pursed his lips as he considered the notion.

"Some private investigator he is…", Sasha spoke with a tone that suggested she was impressed, "Or it was just down to dumb luck"

"We'll find out when we question him"

"What do you think she's saying?"

Rick almost glanced at Sasha, "She's probably trying to sell Mike to her"

"Do you think she'll try to bring him to her today?"

"Probably… she won't have the patience to wait any longer"

The women's discussion was a lengthy one, and Sasha used the time to inform their colleagues of the developments. Rick felt too uncomfortable to do anything other than leer at them. A part of him did worry about what Lori was saying to Michonne, as the topic of her relationship with Mike was a sensitive one, and he hoped it didn't rehash any painful memories for her. He further hoped, in the deep dark corners of his mind, that his wife didn't produce a convincing argument either.

Michonne stepped back in her room as Lori walked away, and Rick was tapping his phone screen again at record speed.

"She said he wants to talk to me about working things out", Michonne informed as soon as she answered the phone.

"I knew it", He breathed, his eyes locked on Lori, who was making her way back to her car.

"She said she knows where he is and she's going to pick him up..."

"She's getting him", Rick repeated to Sasha, "Listen, I want you to sit tight, alright? I'll let you know what's going on once we have a plan set"

"Okay".

He hung up the phone to Michonne, still looking at Lori's car as she pulled out of the motel parking lot, "We should follow her"

"But if she's bringing him back here then we should wait?"

Rick still started the car, "If for whatever reason he doesn't get here, I want to know where it is he's hiding"

"I know but our best bet is to wait here. We know Lori's going to bring him, and we know there's nowhere for him to run once the others get here. If we follow her out to wherever he's hiding and he gets spooked, he might already have a getaway plan-"

"Alright", He sighed, turning right into the Motel parking lot, "I get it. We'll set up here".

Four other deputies arrived, in two of the officers own vehicles, and they quickly set to forming a plan. Rick was on the edge, eager to apprehend Mike, as he sat in his driver's seat. The abuser was one of the bigger hurdles between he and Michonne, and he was determined to have him out the way, and out of her life.

"What's taking so long? It's been nearly, what?... forty five minutes?"

Rick looked at his own watch, "She might have got him a spare change of clothes or somethan'... maybe took him to freshen up"

Sasha's face pinched in disgust, "Oh yeah? Where is he showering and doing his… business, if he's on the run? If he does live in an abandoned house then he won't have any water or anything…"

"Not somethan' I'm trying to think about, to be honest", He shuddered at the thought.

" _We see her car, over_ ", Bruce announced through the radio.

"Here we go", He exhaled, straightening up when he did indeed see his wife's vehicle pull into the parking lot, but something struck Rick as odd.

"Where's Lori?", Sasha whispered the question, as Mike had chosen a parking space rather close to theirs.

The man stepped out Rick's wife car and didn't even attempt to close the door before sprinting towards the staircase. Rick and Sasha emerged, as did Shane and Bruce, running stealthy though the lot. Rick was first on the stairs, taking two steps at a time, his weapon in hand, adrenaline coursing through his veins.

"Freeze!"

Mike stopped two doors away from Michonne's, his back to the officers.

"Hands in the air and on your knees! Now!", Rick barked at him, creeping closer.

Mike didn't immediately move, and Rick was sure he could hear him curse under his breath before doing what was told, raising his hands and dropping to his knees with wide thud.

"Mike Jones, we are arresting you on suspicion of fleeing from police supervision whilst being held on the charges of harassment, assault and reckless driving" Sasha replaced her weapon with a pair of handcuffs, grabbing Mike's hands and putting them behind his back as she restrained him, "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning"

Rick stepped in front of Mike, taking in his subdued demeanour, "Where's Lori?"

Mike didn't look up, his eyes downcast as he shook his head, "I don't fucking know… we got into it and I left her"

"So you stole her car?"

Either Mike didn't hear the question or he chose not to answer.

"Where were you hiding?", Rick crouched down in front of Mike, resisting the primal urge he had to attack him for all he's done, "Give me the address. Now"

"I don't know", Mike frowned, still refusing to make eyes contact, "I'm not from here-"

"Well then what did the area look like?", Rick bit out, cooking his head to catch the man's gaze.

He finally looked at Rick, with vacant eyes and a pensive expression, "It was by a railway track… an old house-"

"That's Bloomsbury Avenue right?", Shane guessed, "That's the only street by the tracks?"

"Sounds like it", Rick muttered, standing back up, and glancing over his shoulder at Michonne's door, "Take him in, we're gonna go check it out"

"I'll come with you", Shane volunteered, helping to lift Mike off the ground.

Rick wanted to check on Michonne before he left but he imagined Lori didn't have a way to get back into town, and after finding her phone in her vehicle, he realised she was stranded where she was. He couldn't help but feel she deserved it, as it was her idea to help the man in the first place. In his mind, being stuck out on the edge of town would be the least of her worries, once he got her back to the police department.

"She was helping him?"

Rick glanced at Shane as he exhaled, "Yeah"

His ex-best friend stared through the windshield, dumbfounded, "She knew what he did though?"

"The fact that he was an abuser wasn't going to stop her. She's lucky he just left her out here and didn't do anythan' worse", His tone was biting, though his annoyance wasn't from Shane's doing.

"I saw her the other day... She won't even talk to me about the baby", Shane's brow furrowed with frustration, "I guess she was just banking on this working so the two of you-"

"Even if in some weird, parallel universe Michonne did end up getting back with Mike, I wouldn't have stayed with Lori. And that child's yours, for you to raise. I wouldn't take on the job of raising it as my own when I know you're more than willing to do it. It's not fair", Rick bit his lip as he found the conversation turning in a direction that he didn't feel was appropriate for the moment.

"I appreciate that, man. I really do. Just wish she'd see it that way…"

The radio hummed as a message came through, " _One-three-two-six. Try that home gentleman, that's one-three-two-six, over_ "

Shane picked up the receiver, "One-three-two-six. Got it"

Rick squinted through the driver's side window, as Shane returned the receiver to the radio, "It should be on this side then"

"There", Shane pointed to the home with the overgrown lawn and metal fence.

They soon parked outside the unkempt residence and the two deputies exited the vehicle. Rick rubbed the back of his neck, feeling uneasy all of a sudden, "She might have started walking, we might of missed her coming up here"

Shane still began to walk up the pathway to the home, "We need to get someone out here to come board this place up at least, stop someone else from crashing in here"

Rick looked around the front yard, which seemed to be a dumping ground for refuge. Bottles and cans of alcohol were just about visible in the weeds, as well as random items of clothing and used car accessories. He shook his head, mumbling to himself, "They need to do more than that"

"God!", Shane's face crumbled as he used forearm to cover her nose, "Smells like a damn trashcan up here! This place is a dump- What the… Rick!"

His eyes shot up to where Shane stood on the front porch, peering through a window. He jogged over to him as Shane shoved open the front door with his shoulder. He followed him in and they both were hit with the smell of urine and old garbage. They both covered their noses with the back of their hands, and Rick followed Shane into the nearest room.

He immediately stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her, the pungent smell no longer the issue, as his hand fell from his face. Shane crouched over her, yelling instructions at him that seemed to only register to him as muffled noise. He put her in the recovery position, but Rick knew there was no use, he could see the dark purple bruises around her neck from where he stood. Her eyes were hooded, and her brunette locks splayed over her face, her skin void of any warmth. Lori was, very much dead, and there was nothing either of them could do about it.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 11:

Michonne wasn't used to comforting people. It wasn't something she had to do often, and she found herself at a loss for words when she heard what had happened to Rick's wife. She didn't have the faintest idea of what to do, but she did know that she should be with him, like he had been with her.

She didn't intend to stay with him at his home, it wasn't even something she had considered, but he was beside himself with grief and guilt, and naturally, Carl was struggling to understand what was going on. He didn't want her to leave, and so she stayed.

She could barely believe the news herself. She knew Mike could be a violent man, but she never thought he'd be capable of murder, and the thought of it made her blood run cold.

"Peanut please, just take a little nap for me"

She bounced her son in her arms as she paced the living room of Rick's home. She would be lying if she said she felt comfortable walking around the house, as she didn't, but she was determined to put her anxieties behind her for Rick and his son.

"Why do you call him that?", Carl asked from the couch, sitting with his knees up to his chest. He had been watching her the whole time, fidgeting with his pyjama sleeve.

"Because he looks like one", She gave him a small smile, "Don't you think?"

The little boy stared at the baby in her arms for a moment, before nodding in agreement, "A little"

Heavy footsteps hit the stairs with a thud as Rick descended them. He had been in his room for most of the day, only appearing to use the bathroom or get something to drink. Michonne wasn't sure if he was sleeping, or not, and she wanted to check on him more but she didn't want Carl to see his father that way.

His eyes were red, his hair slightly damp and sticking to his head. He had decided to live in a pair of blue sweatpants and grey socks, which Michonne was sure to wash when he showered. He sniffed as he held out his hands to her.

She shook her head, "No, it's okay. You go rest"

He didn't move, his hands still stretched out in front of him.

She hesitated, but still stepped over to him, handing her wailing son to him. It was as if someone had flicked a switch, as the infant stopped crying almost immediately. Rick turned and left the room, heading back up the stairs.

Michonne huffed, throwing herself down on the couch beside Carl. She looked over at him, "You want to watch a movie before bed?"

Carl's nodded, "Okay"

She grabbed the remote from the coffee table and mimicked the boy's position.

"...Do you know where my mom went?"

Michonne stilled, her eyes creeping over to Carl. She inhaled slowly, turning her body to face him, "I don't… but how about we guess? Do you want to do that?"

The boy looked unsure, his brow beginning to furrow.

"I think your mom went… to live in the sky, and she sleeps on the clouds, and she gets to see the stars up close at night… what do you think?"

His big blue eyes roamed around as he thought, "Maybe she went to live by the beach? She liked the beach?"

"Really? You think she's a mermaid now?"

He nodded excitedly, "We made her a tail in the sand before… she liked mermaids"

"Then she's a mermaid… swimming in the sea with all the dolphins and little blue fish", She pointed to the little fishes printed on his pyjama pants.

"Can we go and see her?"

Her heart ached for him, "We can't… we won't be able to… but you know what I like to do?"

"What?"

"Whenever I miss my best friend, I like to talk to her. She's not here anymore but I pretend she is. I tell her about my day… and what I did… and you can do the same with your mom? When you want to talk to her, just picture her at the beach, with a long, sparkly tail… and you can talk to her. Does that sound like something you can do?"

He slowly stopped fidgeting, his face beginning to smooth, "I think so"

"Then that's what you do. Okay? And if you want some help then I'm right here"

He nodded, crossing his legs as he sat up in his seat, "Okay"

She sat with Carl, watching TV, until he fell asleep. She found him adorable, much like his father was. He made the same expressions as Rick, their brows knitted together in an identical manner, and they both seemed to consider their words before speaking. She could have looked at the five year old all day, enthralled with his little personality.

She carried him up to his room and put him to bed, being sure to keep her eyes off Lori's bedroom door when she did.

Rick's door was slightly ajar, and she listened before poking her head inside. He was sat on his bed, his back against the headboard, with Andre beside him in the bed. He didn't look at her as she walked in the room, but she didn't expect him too.

"Let me take him down stairs-"

"Stay up here", He rasped quietly, looking down at the infant beside him, "Please."

She sat on the edge of the bed, facing him, "He'll probably wake up soon-"

"It doesn't matter"

She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand, preparing to open a can of worms, "It's not your-"

"Don't", He bit out sternly, his eyes darting over to her.

"It's not", She reinforced, matching his tone, "You didn't kill her. Mike did. What you could have done differently doesn't even come into question because he was the one that did it. He made the decision to end her life, and you had nothing to do with that-"

"You blame yourself for Andrea's death", He frowned at her, "You even feel guilty being around me?"

She almost forgot how to breath, stunned by his argument, "That's… it's true. But it's different-"

"It is. I could have done somethan' sooner. I should have demanded that she took me to him, I should have done everythan' in my power to stop him beforehand but I didn't. All I cared about was making sure you were safe, and look, my son ended up losing his mother for it"

Her chest caved from his words, a wave of sadness washing over her.

His eyes snapped shut as his head dropped back on the headboard, "I'm not blaming you-"

"It's okay, I know you're not-"

"No. I'm not. It's my fault. I could have done so much but I didn't-"

"Did you think he'd kill her?"

His eyes rolled open, "I should have."

"No", She shook her head, "That didn't even occur to me and I knew him-"

"I thought he'd kill you", He admitted, his gaze dropping, "I thought you'd be the one he'd… maybe even Andre. And I was hell bent on making sure it wasn't you… making sure he never got anywhere near you two… what's worse is… when we were heading over to that house, I thought she deserved to be left behind, I thought it served her right for interfering-"

"You didn't know, Rick-"

"I thought she deserved it. I was thinking so bad of her, and then to walk in there… and just see her lying there…", He dragged both hands over his face, "I should have done more to protect her and her baby. She was still Carl's mother. I should have done all that for him and I didn't-"

"Can you look at me please?", She pleaded, tilting her head to catch his gaze, "Nothing you did, would have stopped Mike. Nothing. And if we're playing the blame game then everyone can hold their hand up. The other officers can blame themselves for not getting to her sooner? The officer who wasn't watching Mike close enough at the hospital can blame himself? I could take the most blame because this all happened because I came here first, it was me he wanted, I'm the one that led him here-"

"No", He shook his head at her.

"Yeah. It can work that way too", She took his hand in hers, "I do understand why you feel that way… don't think that I don't. But the person responsible for her death is Mike, and I don't want you to put yourself in the same boat as him. He's an evil man. And you are not"

He didn't say anything, his eyes still downcast, and his hand sat lifeless in hers. She didn't expect her words to have an immediate effect on him, but she hoped he would remember them.

"I need to clean up-"

His hand finally held hers, "Leave all that"

"It won't take long, I'll come right back up"

He didn't let go immediately, and she waited until he finally released her to stand. Seeing him so devastated broke her heart, and she wished she could take all his pain away, and Carl's, but it was something that was very much out of her control.

The next day she was woken by tapping on her shoulder, and she opened one eye to see Carl stood by the bed. He didn't say anything, but she imagined he was ready to start his day with some company. Andre had woken a few times in the night, and she was sure she had less than half of the recommended amount for sleep, but she still sat up, rubbing her face tiredly. She scooped her son up from beside a still sleeping Rick, and the three of them trudged down stairs.

She put Andre in his swing seat, and put the TV on for Carl, before heading to the kitchen to make breakfast for them. She was sure Rick had gotten even less sleep than her, as every time she woke up to tend to Andre, he was awake, still sat up against the headboard. She decided to leave him for a few more hours.

"Mom drives me to school"

She stopped buttering the slice of toast to whip her head around to see Carl, "...How about we give school a miss today? I can take you tomorrow?"

The little boy stepped side to side in the kitchen entrance, "...Okay. What are we going to do?"

"Well, we need to go to the grocery store… then I guess we can go to the park? If you want?"

He nodded excitedly, "Can dad come? And Uncle Shane?"

"Your dad and your Uncle Shane aren't feeling very well right now but, we can all go when they feel better"

"Okay"

She had completely forgotten about Carl's schooling, and she realised she would have to ask Rick about that when he woke up. She wasn't sure how she'd fare during the school run but she was willing to give it a go for him.

It also dawned on her that Shane would have been taking Lori's death horribly also. It was his child that he was carrying, and from what Rick told her, Shane and Lori had their own set of problems. She still felt for him, and she hoped he had someone to comfort him.

Once they had eaten their breakfast, and dressed for the day, Michonne left a note on the back of the bedroom door for Rick, and the three of them set out in his truck.

Driving around the town was a strange experience for her. She still hated the place, and she could list plenty of other towns and cities she would rather be in, but she knew she would be there for a while longer than she'd want. It was still early, so the streets weren't busy with people yet, which made her feel slightly at ease. She imagined most of the town's residents would have something to say about her looking after Rick's son, especially right after the death of his mother, and she wasn't in the mood to hear anyone else's opinion.

"Okay, so what's first on our list?", She asked Carl as he sat in the shopping cart beside Andre, who was fast asleep in his car seat.

He looked at the piece of paper in his hand and frowned, "I can't read"

She gave a playful shrug, "Guess?"

He began to smile, "Um… Milk?"

"Milk it is!", She pushed the cart over the dairy aisle, "And maybe eggs while we're at it… we can make pancakes tomorrow before school"

"You can make pancakes? Mom said they're really hard", Carl looked at her with surprised eyes.

Michonne nodded, "I can. I'm actually a bit of a professional… I can make them with blueberries, too"

"Really? Will you make some?"

"Of course. Let's get the ingredients then", She grabbed a gallon of milk off the shelf and put it in the cart, as well as a carton of eggs, "Do you know what your dad likes for breakfast?"

"French toast", Carl's face pinched with disgust, "And omelettes"

"We'll have to make it for him then won't we?"

She turned into the next aisle, and she wasn't exactly sure what she was looking at, but she knew it wasn't good. A group of four women were gathered together, all talking in hushed tones, until they saw Michonne. Their eyes almost bulged, all of them looking her from head to toe, then at Carl in the cart.

Michonne didn't have the patience for their antics. She held her head high and continued down the aisle, strolling past them without a second glance. She picked up some spring onions and a few peppers, then made her way to the next aisle. It was only when she turned the corner did she hear one of the ladies declare loudly, "Home wrecker".

The insult itself didn't bother her, she just hoped that Carl didn't pick up on the strange atmosphere, as she had thought that the women would be more considerate of his presence. The incident made her even more aware of all the eyes that followed her as they did their shopping, but she wouldn't allow herself to react in front of the boys, so she pretended as if no one else existed.

"The next stop is…"

"The park!", Carl cheered, "Can Andre play with me?"

"Uh…", She looked at her son, who was content sucking on his pacifier, "He wouldn't be able to do much, but we can make it work"

"Excuse me?"

Michonne put the last bag in the back of Rick's truck and turned to the female's voice. To her dismay, it was one of the women she had just seen in the grocery store. She was a tall blonde woman, who looked at Michonne with scorn.

"I just want to say that you have a lot of nerve showing your face around here after everything", She announced in a low tone, "Lori was a friend of mine, and she was a doting mother and a loving wife, and the fact that you've swooped in like some vulture to take her family when she's only been dead for a few days is disgusting. Poor Rick is heartbroken and you've just taken full advantage of that, and I hope you know that women like you are an absolute disgrace"

Michonne's huffed, rolling her shoulders back as she sized the woman up, "If you were as good of a friend to Lori as you say you were, then you wouldn't be standing around, clucking with the other hens in the grocery store, would you? Is this what you do with your time? Is your life that boring, that tedious, that you have to stick that beak of yours into somebody else's business to keep yourself entertained?"

The woman's lip curled in anger, "How dare you-"

"What's going on here?", Sasha stepped into view from behind Rick's truck, her eyes on the other woman.

"I am just appalled at this woman's behaviour", The blonde hissed as she turned to the officer.

"Unless she broke the law, it's none of your concern, so keep it moving Pam", Sasha issued, pointing her hand in the other direction.

"You are _disgusting_ -"

"Pam! Move it"

Michonne rubbed her hands over her face as she tried to gather herself, checking on Carl and Andre at the front of the truck.

"People around here think they're very entitled", Sasha sighed as she stepped closer to Michonne, still watching Pam storm across the car parking lot, "You guys alright?"

"Yeah. We're fine. Nothing to worry about"

"...Rick?"

She closed the passenger side door after securing Carl's seat belt, "Not really… but, you know"

Sasha nodded, "I wanted to come and see him later…"

"...You can. I mean, it might help if he has someone to talk to about what happens now…"

"Yeah… Okay, I'll be by after work then"

"That's fine"

Michonne wanted to pull her hair out in frustration after her confrontation with Pam. She shouldn't have let the woman's words get to her, and she did her best to keep a happy facade on for Carl, but her mind raced as she continued to replay the scene in her head. She still wished she had handled things with Rick differently, and the two of them hadn't come together the way they had, but she never set out to tear apart a family. She would admit she was naive to still have that outlook after sleeping with Rick the first time, but it was the truth.

By the time they arrived back at Rick's home, she just wanted to hide away for the remainder of the day. Carl was content with their little outing and she was glad for it.

"Can we have pizza for lunch?", The boy requested as they walked up the porch steps, carrying one of the shopping bags over his shoulder.

Michonne chuckled at him as she adjusted the baby carrier in the crook of one arm and the other bags in the other, "I thought you'd be full from all those cookies you ate in the car?"

Carl shook his head, "Can we?"

"Sure, we-"

The front door swung open just as she reached for the door handle, causing Michonne to almost jump. Rick looked over the three of them with frantic eyes, his chest rising and falling quickly.

"Hey there, son", He greeted weekly, "You alright? Come inside"

She squinted at him as he led his son in the home, taking the shopping bag from him. She followed, closing the door behind her with her foot.

"...And we went to the park", Carl informed happily, "Michonne said we can have pizza for lunch?"

"That's great. I guess we will then… go on, go put your indoor clothes on", Rick issued, running his hand over the boy's dark hair.

"Okay", Carl chirped, bolting up the stairs.

Rick watched him for a second, before turning back to Michonne with cloudy eyes, "You just left like that?"

She began to step past him, when he took the other bags off her arm, "I left you a note"

He was right behind her as they walked towards the kitchen, dropping the bags on the counter as soon as he could, "A note?"

"Yeah, on the back of the bedroom door so you would see it if you left the room", She explained, placing the car seat on the kitchen table to take Andre out, "It must of fell off or something-"

"You should have woken me up-"

"You were up last night-"

"It doesn't matter-"

"Yes it does, you needed some rest-"

"It doesn't matter!", He roared, turning to face her, "You don't just up and leave like that! Don't leave a damn note! Wake me up and tell me where you're going! I nearly lost my mind when I came down here and saw your guys were gone! How the hell could you do that after everythan' that's happened!?"

Michonne's mouth hung open in shock until she felt Andre squirm in his seat. She turned and scooped him up in her arms, rocking him against her chest.

Rick dragged his hand over his face as he exhaled angrily, "Next time, tell me where you're going. Please"

She nodded, though she wasn't facing him, "Okay"

"Thank you", His tone softened again, "Go on, I'll put all this away"

She stroked the back of Andre's head as she left the room, trying not to take Rick's outburst personally. She was actually pleased that he was moving around the home again, even if it was in panic.

Her foot had barely stepped over the threshold to the living room, when the doorbell rang. She sighed, muttering, "And who could that be?"

She opened the door, and an older, dark haired man and woman were planted in front of her. The only reason she figured that they must have been Lori's parents, was because the woman looked very much like her daughter, very slender, with the same big brown eyes. They both looked completely downtrodden, with bloodshot eyes and mouths hanging low.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?", The man quizzed, squinting at Michonne.

It dawned on Michonne that she should have let Rick get the door, "Would you like to speak to Rick?"

"Where is my grandson? Why the hell are you are you here?", The woman spat out, her eyes darting around behind Michonne.

"I'll just go get-"

"What do you want?", Rick appeared behind her with a dark expression, placing himself in front of Michonne.

"You already moved her in? My daughter has been dead for three days!-"

"What do you want?!"

Michonne backed up to the living room, but still managed to hear the argument clearly.

"We want to know what's going on with our daughter! What happens now? We want to start planning her burial-"

"She was murdered. They won't release her body yet, but when they do, someone will contact you"

"And that murderer? Where is he? When do they-"

"You'll be contacted about that too."

"What are you doing about this? Why aren't you out there making sure they're doing their job with your wife?! The mother of your-"

Michonne heard the door slam, and the wall beside her rattled. Rick stomped back towards the kitchen, cursing under his breath, while she put Andre in his swing, and turned the TV on for Carl, for when he came tumbling down stairs.

Rick had both hands stretched in front of him, resting on the counter with his head bowed. She approached him cautiously, leaning against the counter when she was close enough.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you-"

"It's okay", She breathed, "I get it"

"No. It's not okay. You've been holding down the fort around here and you don't deserve that"

She placed her head on his shoulder, "I'm sorry about her parents"

He scoffed, "Don't be. I know I shouldn't have a little more patience with them because of what happened-"

"Not if they talk to you like that-"

"I don't like them talking to you like that"

She smirked, "I've had worse today. That was nothing"

He lifted his head, frowning, "What? Who?"

"Just some lady at the grocery store, Pam?"

He squinted at her, "What did she say?"

"A lot. She said… _a lot_. But…", She shrugged, "It comes with the territory around here-"

"I don't like that, I don't want you-"

"Carl can't stay cooped up in here. If he wants to go out then I'll take him out, and I'm not going to let anyone stop me from doing that… which reminds me, he wants to go to school tomorrow?"

He stared at her, "I can do that-"

"I asked him if he wants me to take him and he said okay-"

"Fine, then we'll both take him", He countered.

"I want to do it. You can stay here with Andre", She offered, raising her eyebrows at him.

He sighed, giving a little nod of his head, "Fine"

She place a soft kiss on his shoulder, "Thank you"

"I'm the one that should be thanking you", He whispered.

"No. You're the one that should be unpacking these bags", She smiled, and her heart fluttered when he gave her a small smile back.

"Alright, I can take a hint"

"Michonne! Steven Universe is on!", Carl informed hurriedly as he ran into the kitchen.

"I'll get the cookies! Save me a seat!", She instructed, and the boy disappeared as quickly as he had appeared, "Feel free to join us when you're done?"

He straightened up, taking her hand in his and kissing the back of her fingers with a little peck, "I will"

"Good".


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 12:

Rick woke up to the smell of pancakes, causing him to bolt right up in the bed, his eyes snapping open as his mind raced. He looked around his room, and Michonne's bags were still sat at the end of the bed.

Realisation hit him. Lori was still dead, and it wasn't all a bad dream. He dragged his hands over his face, desperate to go back to sleep so he didn't need to face the world, but he knew he couldn't hide forever.

He left his room and slunk down the stairs, hearing light chatter in the kitchen. He remembered that Carl wanted to go into school that day, and while he was against the idea, he knew his son was handling things completely differently.

Michonne was setting a plate down for Carl when he walked in the room, and Carl wasted no time tucking into his breakfast. Andre was in his car seat on the chair beside his son, his pacifier moving rhythmically in his mouth.

Rick tousled Carl's hair, "Morning buddy"

"Morning", the boy could hardly speak as his mouth was filled with half a pancake.

"Hey", Michonne chimed, pouring another batch of batter into the pan.

Rick almost kissed her cheek, but he didn't want to confuse his son any further, so settled for resting his hand on her back instead, "Morning"

"Blueberry pancake?"

He hesitated, "Not yet, but thank you"

"No problem"

A little wail rang out, and they both turned to look at the infant in his seat. Andre's pacifier had fallen from his mouth, and Carl leaned over, to his seat, retrieving it from the bottom of his seat and popping it back in his mouth, all while still shovelling his breakfast in his mouth. Rick smiled at the exchange as he went over to join them.

"You excited to get to school buddy?", He quizzed as he released Andre from his seat, placing the carrier on the floor beside him so he could sit down.

"Yep. Mimi's taking me", Carl nodded.

"Mimi?", Rick repeated, resting the baby in the crook of his arm. He remembered the old nickname Andrea used for Michonne, and he wondered why his son was now using it.

"I told him a story about one of me and Andrea's adventures when we were kids… it wasn't anything scandalous-", Michonne explained over her shoulder.

"They wrote their names on a wall!", Carl finished for her.

"On a wall?", Rick raised an eyebrow at her back.

" _Graffiti_ ", She mouthed to him, making her way over to the fridge.

He shook his head at her, "Oh."

"Mimi said she can paint a picture of mom on the wall", Carl continued, "Mom won't get mad will she?"

Rick's knee began to bounce, "Uh… no-"

"Do you remember what we said about your mom, Carl?", Michonne spoke softly as she came over to him with the orange juice carton, "Where she is?"

Carl frowned as he thought, "The beach?"

Michonne nodded, pouring some of the beverage in his cup, "Yeah. I don't think she'll mind if we draw a pretty picture of her on the wall if she's at the beach"

"Mom's a mermaid", Carl informed his father.

Rick felt a lump in his throat, "Yeah? She is?"

His son nodded, "Yep."

Rick moved Andre to rest on his shoulder as he tried to gather himself. The infant soon began to fuss, his pacifier falling from his mouth again, so he stood and began to rock him.

"Alright, it's okay, your Mama's coming", He soothed, rubbing his back.

"Hold on peanut", Michonne called back over her shoulder, turning the fire off under the pan. She turned and held out her hands to Rick, "You go get Carl's clothes ready and I'll feed him"

"Alright"

Their set up was turning into a strange one, but Rick hadn't felt so comfortable in a long time. He didn't mean to burden Michonne with the task of looking after Carl while he wallowed in guilt, but he didn't know who else to turn to. He knew the only person who could understand the kind of pain he was feeling was her, and she was helping him in more ways than she could understand.

He helped dress his son for school and he took Andre back when Michonne went to change. He didn't want her to have to navigate the town on her own, especially after he heard what had happened the previous day, but she seemed to take it all in her stride.

"Bye dad!", Carl called once more as he ran out the door, his backpack bouncing as he ran.

"Bye son!", Rick called back, "Be good!"

"What's his teacher's name again?", Michonne asked as she followed after the boy.

"Jacqui. I already talked to her on Friday so… she knows"

"Okay. Well, there's a bottle in the fridge for him if he needs it-"

"I saw it. Bye!"

He watched them get in his truck and drive off before he closed the door. Andre was still fighting the urge to sleep when he walked back in the room, so he picked the little boy up and sat with him on the couch.

"You're a lucky little thang, aren't you? You haven't got a clue what's going on… you just want your mama", He breathed, resting him back into the crook of his arm, "Let's see if I still have the magic touch to make you fall asleep"

He had barely sat back in the seat when the doorbell rang, "Great. Just great"

Rick's mother slowly pulled off her sunglasses when he opened the door, her mouth falling agape. He rolled his eyes, adjusting Andre, so his now sleepy head rested on his shoulder.

"What on earth-"

"What do you want?", Rick sighed, ready to close the door if necessary.

She tore her eyes away from the infant, "I came to talk to you"

"Go on then"

His mother glanced behind her, then back at him, "Well can I come in? I don't want to have this conversation out here"

Rick stared at her, "Quickly"

He stepped back into the living room while his mother closed the front door. He choose to stand, lulling the little boy to sleep.

"So can I ask the obvious question here?", His mother raised an eyebrow at him, standing few feet away from him.

"Is that why you came? To ask questions?"

"Is she living here?"

"She's staying with me until we leave"

His mother narrowed her eyes at him, "And you're playing father to _her_ baby?"

"He's in my arms, ain't he?", Rick raised his eyebrows at her, "You see him here, right?"

She pursed her red lips as she exhaled through her nose, "Your wife hasn't even been dead a week-"

"What did you come to talk about?"

"We need to start making arrangements", She bit out sternly, "The women in town want to have a memorial service for her-"

"What's that got to do with me?"

Her eyebrows shot up, "You are her husband! You have to be there!-"

"Lower your voice", He snapped through gritted teeth.

Her eyes darted to Andre then back to her son, "You have a duty here. You don't get to just run off and start this new life with that woman and her son. What about your son? Have you thought about him in all this? Have you stopped to think about how he feels with his mother dead and his father already shacking up and playing house with his new woman? Lori died trying to keep her family together, and for you to-"

"You knew she was talking to Mike?", Rick narrowed his eyes at her.

She inhaled sharply, raising a hand to him, "Now, I told her that it wasn't a good idea-"

"Did her parents know too?"

She threw both hands up in the air, "I don't know, the last time I spoke to her was a day or two before he killed her. I told her flat out that it was a bad idea and she could get in trouble for it, but she was determined. She was adamant that she knew what she was doing"

Rick turned his back to her as he placed Andre in his swing, "Well, look how well that turned out"

His mother sighed from behind him, "Look, I spoke to your father, and we both agreed that the best thing for you to do from here on out is-"

"I know what I'm doing", He stood from his crouched position to face her, "So don't you worry about it"

She rested her hand on her hip, "I don't think you do-"

"Are we done here? Is that all you came to say?"

She frowned at him, "The memorial service? Her funeral-"

"Those are thangs that you need to discuss with her parents"

"You are expected to be there-"

"But I won't be", He growled, "So we're done here"

His mother shook her head in disbelief as she straightened up, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder, "You really are somethan' rotten, you know that right? After everythan' we've done for you, you just throw it back in our faces without any regard for how it would affect what we've worked hard for. We pride ourselves on being the pillars of this community, and yet you are just hell bent on tearing us down. Our name-"

"Can you hear yourself? The pillars of the community? Are these the same pillars that paid for their son's girlfriend to have an abortion and leave town when she got pregnant?"

Her eyes widened, "You be quiet now-"

"Jeffrey had the right idea. I think I see that now. He left town as soon as he could to get away from the both of you. He knew that was the only way to stop you from interfering with his life-"

"What the hell has any of this got to do with-"

"I don't want anythan' to do with you either", He sighed, looking at her with cold eyes, "That's what it has to do with this, so you can cross this son of your list too"

She huffed and puffed, searching for another weapon to use against him, "Well that if just fine by me, but I won't allow you to live in my home with _them_ -"

"I already told you, this is very temporary. You'll get the keys back before you know it"

With her options were depleting before her very eyes, and all she could do is repeat herself, "You-"

"You can leave now. I'm done, Leslie".

She glared at him, her lips poised to argue further but it seemed to dawn on her that the conversation was at an end. She turned, spinning on her heels and stalking out the home. Rick balled his fists in annoyance, wishing he hadn't opened the door for the woman and deciding in that moment that he wouldn't open the door for anyone else.

He had a quick shower while Andre slept, and was about to have his breakfast when he heard the front door open and close. He stepped into the kitchen doorway, and saw Michonne kick off her shoes and trudge into the living room.

"What's wrong?", He questioned, stepping cautiously into her sight, eyeing her as she sat with her legs up against her chest on the couch.

She shook her head, "Nothing, Just tired. How was he?"

"Fine", He quickly responded, "How was it up at the school?"

"Fine… I talked to his teacher. Told her I'd be back to pick him up"

"Is that all that happened?", He probed, taking a seat on the coffee table in front of her.

She sighed, rolling her eyes, "No, but it doesn't matter-"

"It does. Did someone say somethan' to-"

"Rick, it really doesn't matter. With everything else going on… those women are that last thing anyone should be worrying about", her eyes landed on Andre, and stayed there.

"I know, but they don't have the right to talk to you at all. I don't like that-"

"Let's just forget about, please? Have you had breakfast yet?"

He wasn't going to forget about it, but he relented on speaking about it for the moment, "I was just about to. Come on, I know you didn't eat anythan' either"

He held out his hand to her as he rose to his feet, and she took it. They ate breakfast together in the kitchen until Andre woke up, and Michonne went to feed him. Rick wasn't sure what to do with himself when he wasn't lying in bed for a majority of the day. He could no longer mourn that way, as he didn't want Michonne to continue to carry all responsibilities of his home. After the discussion with his mother, he realised he had a lot to do, and soon.

"I was thinking somethan'...", He glanced at Michonne as he walked back into the living room.

She was holding Andre against her chest, and kissing his cheek as she snuggled him, "What?"

"Moving out of here…", He took a seat next to them.

"Oh yeah? You found a place, right?"

"Nah, I mean moving out of town"

She turned to look at him, leading Andre to slobber on her cheek, "Really?"

Rick smiled at the baby's affectionate display, "Yeah. I don't think I can take it here anymore"

"I'm surprised, I didn't think I'd ever hear those words leave your mouth"

"Neither did I but, it's like everythan' is pointing in that direction"

She seemed to accept his reasoning, "...Atlanta's nice?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, "Yeah?"

"Yeah…"

"I might have to start looking at Atlanta then… I don't know how Carl will take it though… I don't want to do too much to fast-"

"He's still really young, he'll adjust but you just have to talk to him. I think he really wants that right now…"

He nodded in agreement, "I will"

"What about her things?... her parents might want them?"

Rick frowned as he thought about Lori's belongings, "I'll probably let Carl keep a few thangs, give the rest to her parents…"

"...Did she have anything to do with the baby?"

His eyes rolled shut, and he rubbed his forehead with his hands, "I don't think so…"

"Oh… I was going to say if she did you could have given it to Shane…"

"Yeah…", He tensed at the mention of the other man, "I'll check out her room…"

She popped Andre's pacifier in his mouth and laid him on her lap, "Have you been in there since?"

He shook his head, "Nah… haven't really wanted to. When I started sleeping in the other room, I took all my stuff out, so it's been a while"

She glanced at him, "Even I try not to look at her door"

He stilled while it dawned on him that she wouldn't be completely comfortable staying in his home, "How are you feeling here? Honestly?"

"Uh, honestly?... It's not that bad. It's just, with everything that happened, a little strange"

"If you don't wanna stay here…", He began to propose, though he would only hope she shot down the idea, "I'd understand, don't feel like you have-"

"If you want me to stay then I will", She affirmed, her eyes darting over to his.

Relief washed over him, "I'm sorry I didn't really think about how you'd feel being here. I just really wanted-"

"It's okay, you don't have to explain it to me, Rick", She insisted, "And besides… Carl and I have a cartoon marathon coming up…"

He smirked, "I didn't realise you were such a big fan of cartoons?"

"He and I have our own mutual understanding."

He raked his fingers through his hair as he tilted his head to look at her, "...I'm coming with you to get him"

"You don't have to-"

"But I want to", He insisted, taking Andre from her lap, "Me and my little buddy here need some fresh air today"

She gave him an adoring smile, "Yeah. I guess you do"

Rick couldn't help but dote on the infant. He had always known he wanted more children, but even before things between he and Lori went south, something at the back of his mind kept him from bringing up the subject with her. He felt such a sadness for her unborn child when he held Andre. While he would have kept his distance if Lori had lived, he would have still accepted the child as Carl's brother or sister regardless.

By the time they had left to collect his son, Rick had made up his mind about what else he was going to do while they were out.

"I think I'm going to stop by Shane's…"

Michonne looked over at him from the passenger seat of his truck, "Yeah?"

He nodded, running his finger across his lip, "Yeah. I'll stop by his first… you'll be alright getting Carl?"

"Yeah. I got it"

"I can take him with me", He tilted his head towards the car seat between them, where Andre was drifting off to sleep, "You don't have to worry about him when you pick up Carl"

She smirked, "I'm think he's starting to prefer you"

"I told you, we have a mutual understanding. A man-"

"Needs his rest. Yeah. I heard it before", She chuckled, her dreads swinging in a high ponytail, "I don't mind, but do you think it's a good idea? He has just lost…"

"I know. But I think… it might help. He's helping me a whole lot"

She seemed to hesitate, but she still nodded, "Okay"

He drove them to Shane's, and Rick got out of the truck and took a sleeping Andre with him, "Call me when you get back and I'll come out"

"Alright"

He watched her drive off before turning back to Shane's home. He didn't particularly know what he was doing, as the idea seemed like a good one when it was in his head, but as he walked up to the front door, he was starting to doubt himself. A tiny wail left Andre in his car seat, and Rick sighed when he looked down at him.

"I feel the same way-"

The door opened, and Shane appeared, looking as Rick would have expected him to, with downcast eyes, his normally clean shaven face was dark from his facial hair. He frowned when he saw Rick, his gaze jumping from him to the carrier in his hand.

"How's it going?", Rick coughed out.

Shane slowly shook his head, "You probably know already"

"Yeah…"

Shane stepped aside, allowing him in. Rick had often spent evenings and weekends in the man's house, so much so that it was like a second home to him, but in that moment, he felt very much out of place.

"Kitchen?"

"Yeah", Shane croaked.

He led the way to the back of the home, where the bright kitchen was. They had often spent time in that room, drinking with the back door open in the summer evenings. Rick almost smiled at the memory.

Shane motioned towards the breakfast table, and he followed him, taking a seat across from him.

"How's Carl?"

"He's- he's fine. He asks about her. I don't think he really understands that she's…", Rick ran his hand over his mouth, "But Michonne's there so I guess she's a distraction for him…"

"That's her son, right?"

"Yeah. Andre"

Shane slowly nodded.

"I'm sorry about the baby", Rick issued, looking directly at him, "I really am. I know thangs weren't going well between the two of you and I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to work it out"

Shane sniffed, rubbing the back of his head, "Thanks. I appreciate that… and I feel the same for you"

"Yeah, thank you"

"Her parents called me- her mom did. Talking about keeping everythan' quiet"

Rick's brow furrowed, his confusion clear on his face.

"Yeah. She said nobody needs to know about what happened… I think they've even told people that Mike killed her because she turned him down or somethan'. She's trying make out that he was just some obsessed stalker-"

"What?", Rick squinted at him, leaning forward in disbelief.

"Yeah", Shane slowly nodded, "They don't want her memory soiled"

Rick rolled his eyes up to the ceiling as he sighed, "Why am I even surprised?"

"They're gonna get called into the station… Sasha told me that Merle Dixon saying her parents contacted him and told him to find out where Michonne was, paid him to. It was just pure dumb luck that the first motel he went to check out was the one she was staying in…"

He eyed Shane, "Her parents knew about Mike too?"

Shane nodded, "And he said he worked with Mike before. Said he got in contact with him through a friend, he's the one that told him she was at the fair. He's got a little private investigation thang set up. I don't know how Lori's parents found out about him but… they used him too"

Rick drummed his fingers on the wooden table between them, "What's Mike saying?"

"Nothing, besides asking to see Michonne"

His lip curled at the information, "Did he say why?"

The other man shook his head, one of his shoulders raising.

"I shouldn't be surprised about that too", He looked down when he noticed Andre squirming in the carrier. He quickly took him out before he began to wail again.

"I guess you're the only one that came out of this better off"

Rick looked at Shane with a raised eyebrow, "How'd you figure that one?"

"Look at you. You gained a family. You got your new woman and another son-"

"I was going to get them regardless of what happened to Lori", He responded firmly, "And you know that"

"Well ain't you lucky?"

Rick could feel the tension in the room growing, "I told you I'm sorry. And I meant it. I didn't come over here to compare anythan', I came here to see how you were and that's it"

Shane seemed to soften after a moment of silence, his eyes bouncing around the room, "I just felt so close…"

Rick eyed him as he rubbed Andre's back.

"So close to having my own little family. I thought it would finally happen… even though Lori and I weren't anythan', I thought we could work it out, be able to work figure it out together but…"

"Sasha told me she stopped by?"

"She did", Shane nodded, "She said she'd come by again today… she's been a great help. I didn't expect her to come, but she did. She doesn't know how much it means to me to have her around"

"Good to hear…", Rick frowned when he felt his shoulder grow warm, and he peered down so see that Andre was sucking on his shirt. He chuckled, "You don't want that, buddy"

"How old is he now?", Shane asked as he watched him.

"Two months? In that area I remember right", He answered, giving the infant his pacifier.

"Give him here"

Rick's eyes darted up to Shane, and sure enough the man's arms were stretched out in front of him. He was surprised, but he tried not to show it, instead he sat up and handed Andre over to him. Shane's eyes examined him closely, taking in every square inch of the child's face.

"I don't think I've held a baby since Carl?", Shane began to smile.

"Me neither"

"...Are you gonna go? To the memorial?"

Rick shook his head, "Nah"

"Same", Shane sighed, resting Andre in the crook of his arm.

"...I don't even think I'm going to the funeral"

The others man's eyes widened, "Yeah?"

"I'll take Carl once they have her… settled… but the actual service… I've been thinking about it and I just don't wanna be surrounded by all those people"

"I hear that", Shane gaze dropped back down to the baby, "It's all just a damn shame"

"It is."

"...You want a beer or somethan'?"

Rick glanced at his watch, figuring Michonne would have arrived at Carl's school by now, "Sure, a quick one"

"Alright".


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 13:

"Michonne? Michonne please, can we just have a quick talk?"

Michonne's attentions weren't pointed in anything particular, but she found it difficult to concentrate as she stood in the middle of Rick's living room, holding her phone to her ear, "I don't know what Mike's told you but-"

"I know we haven't spoken in a while, but an officer called me and told me he's been arrested for murder… some girl got herself in trouble and they're blaming him for it-"

She rolled her eyes shut, "It wasn't a girl, she was a woman, a pregnant woman, with another young child, who was trying to help him, and she killed her"

The older woman on the other end of the line was silent for a moment, "Michonne, I know me and my son haven't spoken in a while but I still know him. He does have a bit of a temper but-"

"What is it you want, Mrs Mable?"

"I just want to know what we have to do for him, because I don't know how these things work, does he have a lawyer? Does he go to trial or something-"

"I'm not helping him", Michonne frowned as she spoke, annoyed with the woman's assumption that she would.

"Now Michonne, I know the two of you have had your differences but my son loves you so much and I know he needs your strength to get through the this-"

"He nearly killed my…", Michonne stopped herself, not wanting to inform the woman of her grandson, "He nearly killed me, so I'm not helping him"

Mrs Mable struggled to speak, "He just needs help! His father- I told you about that man, he was a horrible father to Mike and my son's suffering for it now-"

"He killed someone", Michonne repeated firmly, "He actually killed an unborn child-"

"Has he admitted it? Has he said he killed her? How do you know that? You're convinced he's a murderer based on what? Because the two of you had a few arguments every now and then?-"

"He used to hit me! That was not a few arguments!-"

"Because he didn't know how to express himself properly! He's always struggled to get his point across without getting mad-"

Michonne ran her hand over her face in frustration, "Mrs Mable, I have to go. Please don't call me again because I'm not helping Mike"

"Please, wait-"

She hung up her phone with a groan, beginning to pace the room, "I hope you never have to meet that woman, Peanut".

Andrea was fast asleep in his swing with his pacifier in his mouth, having grown uninterested in his mother. She decided in that moment that it was time for her to change her cell number, as she didn't want anyone from Mike's family to contact her, and she definitely didn't want them knowing about her son.

She glanced at the time on her screen and nearly gasped when she realised Rick would return home from picking up Carl soon. She did a little jog to the kitchen, searching all corners of her brain as she tried to think of something to give the little boy to eat. She was never much of a cook, and she only ever stuck to what she knew. The fridge was fully stocked and so where the cabinets, so she tied her locks up in a messy bun on top of her head, and grabbed the French bread from the pantry.

It wasn't long after she had started cleaning up after making the quick meal that she heard the front door open, and little footsteps race along the hallway.

"I made cookies!", Carl hurriedly informed, holding up a little tub of the treats, "We made them at school!"

Her mouth fell open, as she stopped washing the knife at the sink, "No way! Come show me"

"I did it all by myself", Carl was at her side in a flash, holding up the tub. The cookies were covered in icing and sprinkles, all misshapen and rather thin, "I didn't eat one yet but dad already ate one in the car. He said he was… qua-quali-"

"Quality control", Rick finished for him with a smile as he walked into the kitchen, already holding an alert Andre in his arms, causing Michonne to tilt her head at him, "Don't look at me like that, he was already awake"

"Is there pizza?", Carl asked sniffing the air in a way that reminded Michonne of a puppy.

"Oh! It's surprise, go wash up and I'll get it ready for you", Michonne instructed, and the boy bottled out the room without another word after resting his treats on the counter, making her chuckle, "I hope he likes what I did"

Rick joined her by the sink, "What did you do?"

"I can't let you see first", She frowned at him as she switched off the faucet, "You have to wait just like he does"

"Fine", He pouted, turning his attentions to the squirming infant in his hands, "I know, Mama's not being nice is she?"

She dried her hands and turned to rest against the counter, "How was it down at the school?"

Rick rolled his eyes as he joined her, "Those women"

"I imagine they were a lot friendlier to you", she smirked.

"It was just one after the other, asking me about what to so for the memorial and all that"

She crossed her arms over her chest, "You still don't want to go to that or the funeral?"

He glanced at her as he moved Andre to the other shoulder, "No. Definitely not"

"Okay", She nodded, not wanting to push him further on the topic, "...I got a call from Mike's mom earlier…"

Rick raised a curious eyebrow, "Yeah? His mom?"

"Yeah. She said one of the officers called her and told her he was in jail so she was asking me what happened…".

"What did she say about it?"

She gave Rick a knowing look, as if to say ' _Do you have to ask_?'.

"Oh. She's one of those people", He groaned, gently bouncing the baby in his arms, "She thinks he's innocent, I take it?"

"Yep. She asked for my help to find out what's going on with him"

"Did she know about how he used to treat you?"

"Yeah… when we went down to see her once in Tallahassee. He didn't really hide it around her"

Rick's expression grew dark, "Does she know about Andre?"

"No. Not at all", She shook her head as she went to check on Carl's meal.

"Good. The last thing you want is her getting involved, especially with her siding with that piece of-"

"I won't", She insisted, taking the tray out the oven, "So don't worry about it"

"Can I see it now?", Carl questioned as he ran back into the kitchen, heading straight for Michonne.

"You can", She smiled, picking him up by his middle so he could see the tray clearly, "Their like your own little pizza's… you can choose which ever you want"

The little boy looked over all the different faces that Michonne had made on the French bread with cheese and tomatoes, and he picked the nearest one to him, "That one"

"Alright, I'll plate it up for you", she sang and she put him back down on the ground.

"Where did you learn to make this?", Rick chortled as he rubbed Andre's back.

"There was a whole bunch of recipes like that in a magazine I read years ago when I was at the doctor's office with Andrea. We lived off of them for a while", She grabbed Carl's red plate for him, "Even though they were for kids… I can teach you a few for him?"

When she didn't get an immediate reply, she glanced over at him, and saw he was staring at Carl, who making little patterns of the table with his finger as he waited for his food. She was almost going to call for his attention when it dawned on her why he grew silent. He was now a single father, and he would have to take on Lori's roll as well as his own.

She placed Carl's meal in front of him so he was distracted while she spoke to his father, "You okay?"

He tore his gaze away from Carl, "Sorry?"

She placed herself in front of him, "Are you okay?"

He nodded, rocking Andre again, "Yeah. Just thinking"

She rested her hand on his arm, her thumb stroking his skin, "You can do it you know? I mean, it won't be easy but you'll get the hang of it all… and I'll be there to help"

He gave her a faint smile, "I appreciate that"

She smiled back, before holding out her hands for her son, "It's time for me to feed this little nut"

Rick kissed him on the head before handing him over, and to Michonne's horror, her son began to wail when she held him, leading Rick to chuckle, "Mutual understanding-"

"You've turned my baby against me", She gasped as she rocked him, "You can't do this to me, peanut"

"Let me feed him then-"

"No, I have to reprogram him, now", She sent Rick a playful scowl as she stepped past him.

"He likes being held the other way-"

"Oh stop"

As much as she enjoyed staying with Rick and his son, the setup was playing on her mind as the days past. She couldn't imagine going home just yet, which scared her. She loved being woken by Carl's little fingers poking her, or opening her eyes to see her son already up and lying on Rick's chest. She felt as if she belonged to an actual, normal family, and the thought racked her with guilt.

The residents of Kings County didn't help matters. The women at Carl's school couldn't wait to see her when she dropped Carl off in the mornings, and they had taken to gathering by Pam's car, desperate to see her so they could make their snide remarks. Rick hated to hear such a thing, and so he had decided that he would collect him in the afternoon, and he would tag along if she wanted to make a trip to the grocery store or the park. She found his protective side endearing, but she wished for him to calm, as neither of them would remain in the town much longer.

"Tara said 'Hey'"

Rick looked up from his laptop, "Oh, tell her I said 'hi'. How is she?"

"Good. She gave birth a few nights ago. Little girl she named Izzy", Michonne informed, taking a seat beside him on the couch.

"Yeah? You gonna go see her?", He didn't take his eyes off her face after asking the question, waiting to see her reply.

"I will", She replied softly, "I can't have her and her niece checking on Peaches and Frank forever too"

He squinted at her for a moment, "Oh… the snakes"

"Yeah", She giggled, turning her attentions to the computer screen, "You see anything you like?"

He sighed, his head rolling back on to the couch, "A few. I need to speak to my Chief about transferring departments…"

"Uh huh", She nodded, taking a peek at her son, who lay sleeping on the other side of the couch next to Rick.

"I wanna ask you somethan', and I don't want you to… to think I'm trying to force you into anythan', I just wanna know what you think…", He tilted his head to look at her.

She blinked at him, "Go on"

"How would you feel about us living together?"

She tried her best to keep her expression neutral, "In Atlanta?"

"Yeah?"

She dropped her gaze to the screen, "It's not something that scares me… it's just with everything, do you think that's a good idea? So soon?"

"Well I thought about Carl in all this and the way I see it, he's gonna be in a new place, moving to a new house… he's becoming familiar with you so… if we all live together then it might not be so scary for him"

He presented a good argument, she couldn't deny that, "But what about us?"

He tipped his head forward, "The thought of waking up next to you every day doesn't scare me"

She bit back a shy smile, "I would hope it didn't… but you don't think we would be moving too fast?"

He exhaled through his nose, his gaze climbing the wall in front of them, "I just feel like I've spent so long living a life that wasn't what it was chalked up to be. When my mom came over the other day, she said Lori died trying to keep her family together and that really stuck with me because she did, but not for the right reasons. Far from it actually and I just don't…"

She watched him patiently as he struggle to find the words to explain how he felt.

"No matter what, there was a chance Mike could have killed you. He could have killed Andre. He showed that he was capable of that, and whether it wasn't the same day or it was weeks, months- he could have done it to one of you, and the thought… it haunts me. It haunts me like Lori does, and I don't want to lose you when I feel like I've only just got you. So the way I'm looking at it, the sooner the better. What we have here, right now, is what I want. I want both boys fast asleep in their beds, while we sit up and watch those cartoons you like, or just talking about anythan'. This is what I want"

She couldn't fight the urge to smile any further, "You forgot Peaches and Frank…"

He chuckled as he took her hand in his, giving her knuckles a kiss, "Do you want this too?"

"I do", She answered truthfully.

"I'm more than happy to hear that", He closed the space between them, and pressed his lips onto hers, causing a fluttering sensation in her stomach.

The idea was one that she did love the sound of, though she was a little apprehensive. She could tell that his wife's death was leaving him to question everything, but she didn't want him to make any rash decisions fuelled by emotion.

"I needed to talk to you about somethan' else…"

She ran her fingers through his hair as she pulled back to see his face, "What else?"

"...How'd you feel about coming into the station tomorrow? To give a statement about you and Mike's relationship for the prosecution?"

She bit her lip, but still nodded in agreement, "I can do that"

"You don't have to, I think we have more than enough to get him-"

"Rick. I'll do it. It's fine"

His eyes examined her face for a few moments, "Alright. I can come in with you… I'm sure Sasha would have the time of her life watching Andre for a little while"

"Oh I'm sure he'd rather be with you, now that I don't exist"

He snickered, "I told you, we have-"

"Don't".

The thought of publicly speaking about her relationship with Mike wasn't something that excited her, but she would do anything she could do to help. She felt as if it was the least she could do.

The next day, her day began as it had done for the most of the week; she made breakfast, bathed her son and dressed him for the day while Rick got Carl ready, then they all left to take the young boy to school, before heading over to the police department.

".. _When you're on a holiday, you can't find the words to say_..", She sang along to the radio, ignoring Rick's occasional judgemental looks while he drove, ".. _All the things that come to you, And I wanna feel it too_.."

"It's not even ten yet", He sniggered, stealing a glance at her.

She ignored him, serenading her son instead, who was sat between them in his car seat, ". _.On an island in the sun, we'll be playing and having fun_.."

".. _And it makes me feel so fine, and I can't control my brain_..", Rick finally sang along, earning him a smile from Michonne, ".. _Hip, hip_.."

She was sure they completely butchered the song as neither could sing, still. It reminded her of her of when they were young, and carefree, and she cherished those memories.

When they arrived at the department, there was a shift in her mood as she prepared to open up old wounds. She followed Rick into the building, realising she was actually quite interested in seeing where he worked. It was quite busy for what she expected of a small town. Officers were pacing from room to room, or stood talking with each other, and a phone seemed to be ringing on loop.

"Hey. You guys made it", Sasha gave them both a wave as she power walked over to them, and her eyes lit up when she saw Andre, "And look at this little gorgeous guy!"

Rick was still looking around the busy office, "What happened?"

Sasha looked up from the infant, "Ugh. The press. Someone tipped them off"

"What?", He frowned.

"Yeah", The woman gave him an apologetic look, "The previous Mayor's Daughter in law is found murdered in an abandoned old home… they're all trying to find out as much as they can. I think we just sent someone over to your parents' house to chase them off… we don't want them interfering with the case but there trying to dig up what they can to write about"

He groaned, pinching his nose brigade with his thumb and index finger. Michonne shifted uncomfortably, an awful feeling brewing in her stomach.

"You wanna come through with me? We can just get this over with", Sasha offered, looking to Michonne.

"Yeah… Sure", She looked up at Rick, "Stay with him?"

Rick nodded, "Alright. Go on"

She followed Sasha down a small hallway, and into an even smaller room, which was furnished with two chairs sat on either side of a table. She suddenly felt nervous, knowing she would have to speak to someone who she wasn't that familiar with about her private life. While she had met Sasha on a few occasions, and she was friendly with the other woman, the task presented to her was a daunting one.

"Okay, so even though we already know the backstory… I just have to ask you a few questions about your relationship with Mike for our records and for the prosecution…", Sasha explained, setting her papers out in front of her, "Then I need you to sign it all when we're done"

"Got it", Michonne nodded, looking down at the sheets.

"You and Mike's were together for…"

"Four years"

Sasha began to write down the information, "And you have one child together, which he's never seen, right?"

"No. Never"

"Uh, has he ever threatened you? Threatened to kill you… things of that nature?"

"Yes."

"Do you know if he has ever tried to kill himself?"

"Not that I know of?"

"Okay… well we know he has followed you and harassed you, uh, did he control your daily activities? Outfit choices, who you could speak to... things like that?"

"Yes."

"And did you leave him before or after you found out you were pregnant?"

"After… that same day actually..."

Sasha nodded, "And the last time you were attacked was when he crashed his car…"

"Yes."

"Was that the most serious incident between the two of you?"

Michonne's gaze sailed behind Sasha, flicking through her thoughts, "As in, have I ended up in hospital or the police have been called?"

"Yeah. Has that happened before?"

"Yes. I've been to hospital and police have been called before…"

Sasha seemed to hesitate, her pen barely moving, "Could you list the most recent incident before you left him?"

"I can…"

Dredging up her past with Mike was a draining act, but Michonne left that meeting room feeling as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Needless to say, It was strange for her, since she hadn't expected to feel relief from talking about that dark period of her life, however, it helped her to understand that it was what she needed to do, in order to truly heal.

The two women headed back to the front desk, where Rick was talking with another officer, with the car seat between them. She could tell by the look on his face that the topic they were discussing wasn't a pleasant one, but he tried to appear stoic when they approached him.

"All done?", He exhaled as he stood up, his eyes darting all over Michonne's face.

She nodded, "Yep. All done"

"Well I'll let you know how the rest of the enquiry goes", The other officers gave Rick a pat on the arm before stepping past Sasha.

"I'll keep you posted on everything… Uh", Sasha shifted her standing, tucking the brown paper folder under her arm, "I heard their having a memorial for her this Friday?"

Rick scratched his brow with his thumb as he picked the car seat up by the handle, "Yeah, somethan' like that"

Sasha seemed to gauge his frosty reception to the question, and decided to leave it alone, "Alright, well I'll stop by before then and I'll call you if anything changes"

"Alright", Rick nodded, and Michonne gave the woman a small wave as they turned to leave.

She waited until they were out of earshot and in the comfort of his vehicle to ask what was bothering him, and he was reluctant to answer her at first, before glancing over her with a serious expression.

"Lori's parents tried to file a report on you"

Michonne heard the words loud and clear, but still found herself saying, "Excuse me?"

He stopped at a red light and looked at her, "They're argument is, that you could be a danger to Carl because of Mike. They were trying to insinuate that you could have orchestrated Lori's death. Get her out the way to have me… so they wanted to involve child protective services and all that to get you away from Carl"

She sat back, stunned, "What does that mean?"

"It doesn't mean anythan'... they can say what they like but it's not true. You've been under surveillance for weeks now, and we already have Merle's confession. They paid him to find you so it contradicts their story that you were working with Mike to kill her"

Michonne ran her hands over her hair, "Great"

He began driving again, "I'm gonna make sure everyone involved is held accountable. I promise I will. Mike, her parents, my mother… all of them…"

She began to nibble on her lip, trying to find reassurance in his words but she struggled to. It had occurred to her that she could possibly become a target for blame, but to hear that Lori's parents tried to make a report against her left her feeling uneasy.

"Michonne? Please, don't let this-"

"I just don't want anything interfering with Andre. That's it"

"That won't happen. I won't let it-"

"You can't stop it all, Rick."

He divided his attention between her and the road, "I'll try. I mean it, Michonne. The guys at the station ain't stupid. They know what's going on and they know what has a ring of truth to it and what doesn't. We won't entertain anythan' remotely like that so don't… just don't start fretting over it, okay?"

She sighed, leaning back on to the head rest, "Yeah…"

"We'll be alright…Oh, _great_ "

She tilted her head to look at him, then followed his cold stare out the windshield, and she saw a woman standing by the he curb as they pulled up to his home. She figured it was his mother, as s had seen pictures of a similarly dressed woman in Rick's lounge. She was immaculate, wearing a white blouse with an emerald green pencil skirt, and her hair was curled away from her face, in a short bob.

She tipped her sunglasses to look into the truck as Rick parked, and he informed Michonne to wait in the car with Andre. She still opened her window to listen though.

"I thought we agreed we were done?", Rick sighed, resting his hands on his sides.

His mother crossed her arms, "I think the three of us need to have a little talk, first".


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 14:

"Now I would just like to have a quick conversation, is all. I'm not here to bad mouth anyone, or attack anyone. Just a civil conversation about what we have on our hands right now"

Rick eyed his mother as he blocked her view of Michonne, "What we have on our hands? I don't have anythan' on my hands-"

"The press are involved, and their waiting outside my home, hounding us like dogs, and soon enough they'll start sniffing around here to, so I would like for us all to come to some kind of agreement, about the next course of action", His mother peered around her as she spoke, as if she were looking for wondering eyes.

"Next course of action?", He repeated, squinting from the sun's rays, "None of that has got anythan' to do with anyone over here-"

"But it does, you see. I know you say you don't care about who knows what and when, but the press are much more harsh than anyone around here, and while you don't care about what anyone has to say about you, you need to remember your… friend, here", His mother tipped her head towards his truck, "You don't want her to be portrayed as some kind of home wrecker, do you? Even worse, they could try to insinuate that she had somethan' to do with Lori's death… they might even blame her. Is that not somethan' you've taken into consideration?"

Rick hated that panic started to rise in his chest at the thought. The last thing he wanted was for Michonne to be painted as a monster, "What do you want?"

"Can we go inside? And talk? Just a quick one, I promise", His mother raised both hands in the air innocently.

Rick narrowed his eyes at his mother, considering her request for a moment. He didn't trust her at all, but he wanted to know what she knew in regards to the press, and he wanted Michonne kept out of it. He turned back to her in the truck wearing a sceptical look, and she looked as unsure as he felt, but she still gave him a quick little nod, before leaning over and unfastening the car seat.

Once they were all in his home, they took their seats in the living room, opposite each other. Rick perched on the arm of the recliner where Michonne was sat, while his mother sat on the far end of the couch, her hands resting on her knees and her bag propped up beside her.

"Now, I don't know if you've spoken to Lori's parents, but they've hired a whole bunch of lawyers, all the while trying to make out their daughter as the innocent party in this. I liked Lori and all but, we know that isn't true", The older woman's gaze roamed them both, "The press don't know much, and the ugly details will most likely come pouring out in the courts anyway-"

"Get to the point", Rick hurried.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Well, my point is, I think that in order to take the attentions off of you and your… friend, here… as well as your father, as he's also very innocent in this, and his career shouldn't suffer for it… we need to let Lori's last few months alive known…"

He frowned at her at her choice of words, "Her last few months known?"

"Yes. I think her affair, her pregnancy, the fact that she was working with that man should all be brought to light, as that was all her doing, and they were all her wrongful decisions-"

"You want us to go around and bad mouth her? Is that what you're asking?", Rick's head jerked back as it dawned on him.

"Not bad mouthing her!", She insisted, "We won't be calling her a bad mother or anythan', we'll just be setting the record straight. We need to distance ourselves from her actions before her parents start with twisting thangs. They already told a few people that Mike was obsessed with her and he killed her because she didn't want him or somethan' ridiculous like that!"

Rick dropped his head as he pinched his nose bridge, "You really are a problem, you know that?"

"Call it what you will, but at the end of the day, this whole thang can get even uglier than it already is, and the only way you can stop it from pouring into every little corner of your life, is by taking control of it. I refuse to have everythan' that me and my husband worked for thrown out the window because none of you know what the word adultery means", She huffed, rolling her eyes, "You need to think about how all this will affect your son, and your… friend, here-"

"Her name's Michonne, and she's not my friend", He corrected as he cocked his head at her.

His mother's face tightened, "...I expect that thangs won't be easy for you… _Michonne,_ and I'm sure the last thang you want is an untruthful version of events plastered on a newspaper…"

Michonne rubbed her sons back as she watched his mother, "I don't agree with trashing Lori's memory to save ourselves though"

His mother groaned, "God. There will be no 'trashing', just exposing the truth. Nothing that's brought into the light, will be a lie- you know what? How about I just leave the two of you to think it over. Obviously it's a lot to take into consideration, so you need some time to think about it, so I'll give you some space to talk it over between yourselves. I'll see myself out"

Rick stared at the now vacant seat as his mother strolled through the room and out the front door.

"...When you think about it, it's all going to come out anyway… so why does she want to try to 'control' it?", Michonne asked quietly, "What's she done that will make it reflect badly on her?"

"She and Lori were in cahoots", Rick responded dryly, "She knew Lori was helping Mike, even though she swears she told her not to. I think she pressured her to 'fix' everythan' between us"

"Oh…", She cringed.

"I really don't want anythan' like that coming back on you-"

"You can't control that. Neither can your mom"

He bit his lip as his gaze trailed off, his mind slowly filling with worry.

"...Rick? You're not considering it, are you?"

He shook his head half-heartedly as he sighed, "I need to speak to my commanding officer, see if we can keep this quiet one way or another-"

"Don't worry about it-"

"Of course I'm worried about it", He looked down at her with a frown, "Why wouldn't I be? I don't want them hounding you, or saying thangs that ain't true-"

"I don't either but that isn't something we should be focusing on right now-"

"Yes it is", He insisted firmly as he rose from his seat and began to step aimlessly, "If they're already swarming my parents about this then it won't take them long to start popping up around here, and I'm not having that. I don't want them chasing y'all-"

"Neither do I, but I want you to calm down and listen-"

"Listen to what Michonne? What?", He snapped, turning to face her.

Her demeanour changed almost immediately, as she dropped her gaze to her son, "I don't want to argue about this"

He forced himself to cool, running a hand over his face, "I'm sorry. I don't… go on. Talk to me"

"I just think we should concentrate on getting out of here… just leave all this behind"

He sat back down on the arm of the recliner, "I know… I need to get us out of here, I know that I need to-"

She placed her hand on his back as she cradled Andre with the other, _"We_ do"

He peered back at her, "We do."

"You'll talk to your Chief… Carl's principal… we'll leave, but you have to tie up these loose ends here first"

"I know", He raked his fingers through his hair, "I hope this doesn't sound insensitive but… I think I get the appeal of moving around now"

She smirked, "Being able to just leave when you want?"

"Yeah…"

"That was the easiest part… the hardest being wanting to stay when you can't"

He sat up straight so he could look at her properly, "That won't be a problem for us now"

"It won't", She scooted to the edge of the chair, "Let me put him in his swing"

He watched her slip the sleeping infant into his swing, and he waited until she walked past him again to take her by her wrist, and pull her to stand between his legs, "I feel like I miss you"

She frowned as she placed each hand on either side of her neck, "I've been here?"

"I've know you have but… I feel like we've had to keep everythan' to the bare minimum because of Carl… and one of us is always holding Andre… I just miss touching you. I feel like I haven't held you for so long", He laced his arms around her waist and held her against him.

"It has been a while… but you've had a lot to deal with…"

His gaze covered every inch of her face as he nodded.

"...Do you miss her?"

He exhaled through his nose, "I do. I miss for her Carl. I wish she was still here for him, but I need to thank you for being there for him… I don't know if I'd be able to answer some of the questions he has, but you know what to say. You know what to tell him without upsetting him and… thank you"

"I'm glad to help", She breathed, her thumb stroking his jaw.

"I love you", He confessed, the words leaving his lips with ease.

The corner of her mouth turned up to a smile, "I love you too"

His stomach fluttered with excitement when she dipped her head down to his and pressed her lips against his. He couldn't remember the last time they had kissed, but he knew it was another thing he missed. The intimate side of their relationship had taken a backseat, and it hadn't been at the forefront of either of their minds, but in that moment he was desperate to have her. His tongue lapped hers tenderly, and his hands slipped under her shirt, his fingers massaging her hips. He was tempted to explore higher, but her hands dropped to his shoulders as she pulled back an inch to look at him.

"Rick… this isn't a good idea"

His brows began to furrow as he nearly whispered, "Why?"

"Because I feel like you're still mourning… and I don't think this is what you need right now"

"You're what I need. I need you", His eyes pleaded with her, "Right now, nothing feels real. It's like I'm living this beautiful dream with you three… but then everythan' else… it's like a nightmare… with Lori, my mom, just everythan' just feels like a nightmare, and I'm scared I'm going to wake up to the wrong side of thangs…"

She cupped his face and brushed her forehead against hers, "This isn't a dream, we're here… I'm right here"

"And I don't want that to change", He caught her lips with his, and she allowed herself to fall into his hold.

Rick felt as if he was rediscovering her all again. His hands travelled up and down her silky smooth skin, while her fingers slipped within his curls. He didn't know why he felt such an urgency to have her, but it drove him to grab her by the thigh with one hand, while the other held her waist. She straddled him, and he carried her to the kitchen, not wanting to wake the sleeping infant.

He placed her on the kitchen counter, his mouth latching onto her neck as she spread her legs wider to accommodate him. Their breathing deepened as they fussed with each other's clothing, fever brewing between them. She had awakened him, and he hadn't felt anything other than guilt and dread in so long. The image of Lori would flash in his mind occasionally, especially when he lay in his bed late at night. He'd remember sitting in his squad car waiting for Mike, all the while she was having her life stolen from her, and his son was robbed of his mother.

A little cry left Michonne as his teeth sunk into her neck, harder than he had intended. He kissed the affected area, trying to focus on her, and only her, but his mind was playing tricks on him. One minute he was immersing himself in the beauty of the woman in front of him, and the next, he was seeing the last image he had of his dead wife, laying on dirty floorboards in an abandoned home. The dull, brown hooded eyes he remembered would be looking right at his mind's own eyes.

He convinced himself that he needed to be inside of Michonne.

He pulled the material of her lace underwear away from her crotch, and aligned his member at her entrance. Warmth radiated from her, leading him to dive in with extremity.

He gripped at her thighs as a primal groan left him, his head dropping to her shoulder, "Yes…"

Thoughts of his dead wife seemed to evaporate, and he could finally devote his focus to Michonne. He buried himself in her repeatedly, his belt buckle hitting the cabinet door with every thrust. She held on to his shoulders, her lips brushing his ear as she whimpered. Her sounds only fuelled his hunger for her, and he propelled his hips with a quickened pace.

His judgement was finally void of all their misfortune, and it brought him so much relief. He knew what he had to do to take his mind away from the dark thoughts that plagued him, and the answer was in his hands, against his chest, and around his shaft. He pressed his lips against hers, forcing his tongue in her mouth, her moans muffling. Her nails dug into his skin, scraping across the back of his shoulders, causing a stir in his groin. He pumped her with a vengeance, dragging his teeth along her jaw as he latched on to her neck again.

Her orgasm took hold of him, her walls pulsing when her hips bucked, and her head rolling back as she howled. She pulled his release from him, and he grunted into the crook of her neck as he filled her to the brim.

Rick was almost dizzy from the act, his heart beat taking its time to return to its usual resting rate.

"Rick…"

He lifted his head to look at her, sensing the questioning in her tone, "What's wrong?"

Her gaze dropped between them, "I think we got a little carried away…"

He studied her expression, trying to understand what she meant, when it dawned on him. His eyes snapped shut for a second as he mentally kicked himself, "I wasn't thinking…"

She smirked, "I don't think either of us were. It's alright, I'll take care of it"

He stiffened, "...Yeah?"

Her eyes trailed all over his face as her little smile vanished, "Uh, yeah?"

He looked down as he removed himself from her, "Right."

"Hold on a minute, what's the- Rick, I hope you're not thinking what I think you're thinking?", She tilted her head to catch his gaze.

"I'm not, it's just… would it be a bad thang?"

Her eyes widened, "Of course it would! We've barely even been together long and we've already gone through so much, and we still have so much shit to deal with and Andre's barely out of his new-born stage-"

"Alright, I get it", He moved from between her legs as he fixed himself, his mood souring.

She sighed, slapping her hand to her forehead, "Rick, I get what you're going through right now, and at times like this, we don't always see things clearly-"

"I'm seeing thangs just fine", He insisted sternly, looking at her with angry eyes, "I said I get it"

It was as if right on cue, Andre's wail could be heard from the living room. Michonne hopped off the counter with a huff, and left him in the kitchen to stew.

Rick wasn't a silly man, he knew it wouldn't be in there best interests to have a child in the near future, but something about the way she dismissed the idea hurt him. He could have bet that it was unintentional on her behalf, but it didn't stop him from letting it eat at him.

Neither of them spoke for the rest of the afternoon, and Rick was glad to leave the home to collect Carl from school. He didn't want to be around Michonne when he was in his bad mood, as he didn't want to snap at her a third time. He felt as if he was fighting a losing battle with himself, struggling to decipher between what his reality was and what he had conjured in his head.

Once he had parked his truck outside the elementary school, he strolled through the playground to get to Carl's class. He ignored the peering eyes from other parents, which he had accustomed to, and did his best to straighten up, in preparation for seeing his son..

"Hey Rick", Jacqui gave Rick a small wave as she appeared at the door, stepping outside the classroom, "Can we have a quick word?"

He scanned her with his eyes, "What's going on?"

"Well, we had a little problem today", She lowered her voice, "Carl was playing with two other kids… and they found a baby bird that had fell out the nest… and one of the children told Carl about death… what it means to die"

Rick rolled his eyes shut as he scratched at his beard roughly, "Great"

"Yeah. Naturally, he was very upset, and I just wanted to know if you had spoken to him about his mother yet? He seemed to think she was at the beach-"

"What did you tell him?", He quizzed, his brows furrowing in annoyance.

Jacqui shifted uneasily, "Well It kind of took me by surprise and I explained to him that that's not possible-"

"You told a five year old child that believes his dead mother is at the beach that that's not possible? You didn't think you should have kept your mouth shut until you could speak to his father first? Then let me handle it?", He cocked his head at her as he rested both hands at his side.

The teacher seemed to be rooted to the floor, "I didn't mean to- I didn't know what he thought-"

"Where is he?", He bit out, narrowing his eyes at the woman.

Jacqui cleared her throat nervously as she turned back to the classroom, muttering, "I'll just get him…"

Rick paced the small area as he waited, feeling a new wave of worry for his son. He wished Michonne was there to help him but he knew he couldn't depend on her to deal with all things Lori related when it came to Carl. He had to talk to his son, no matter how hard he struggled with the topic.

"Hey Dad", Carl almost chirped as he came out the classroom, "Bye Jacqui"

"Bye Carl, see you tomorrow!", the woman called, waving from the door.

"How are you doing son?", Rick asked, taking his son's backpack from him and holding his hand.

"I'm fine"

"Yeah?... I spoke to Jacqui, she said you weren't happy today?"

Carl looked up at him as they walked through the playground, "...No…"

"You wanna tell me what happened?"

"Mickey said that mom's dead", Carl explained, his gaze returning to the path in front of him, "And Jacqui said that moms not at the beach"

Rick swallowed his anger, "Well, who do you think knows your mother more? Mickey, Jacqui or you?"

His son hesitated for a moment, "Me?"

"Exactly. And where is your mother's favourite place?"

"The beach…"

"So then you know your mother's at the beach then, right?"

"...I know", Carl's little brow began to furrow, "But why can't we go see her? I miss her"

His chest felt heavy with dread, "Because that's what happens to people sometimes, Carl… we have to let them go and then we can't see them anymore"

A mixture of sadness and confusion spread across the boy's face, his hand slipping out of Rick's, "I want to see her"

Rick was at a loss for words as the reached his vehicle. His eyes darted around aimlessly, trying to think of a way to comfort his son, "I'm sorry son, but you can't"

He couldn't think of anything worse than seeing his son beginning to break down and cry. He quickly put his backpack in the truck, before crouching down and taking him into his arms. He felt useless, and completely unequipped to handle the young boys sorrow, but he was going to do his best to offer him some solace.

Despite hardly doing anything for most of the day, by the end of it he was drained. He couldn't wait to get back to work so he could have something to focus on, rather than sit at home questioning his sanity. Carl barely gave him a second glance once he had brought him home from school, and to his surprise, he hardly took any interest in Michonne either, instead he just sat in the living room with Andre, who didn't seem to mind.

Once both children were put to bed, Rick was the last one in the household to head upstairs. He imagined Michonne had gone to sleep, as she often did earlier than him. He figured that she was trying to get enough sleep, as her son still woke in the night for his feedings.

When he walked into his bedroom however, only the infant was in his bed, fast asleep. Rick stood in the doorway, listening to see if she was in the bathroom. When he didn't hear anything, he moved closer to the door, but still nothing, so he tapped lightly with his knuckles.

"Yeah?", She called, her voice soft.

He cleared his throat, "Just checking you're alright?"

"I'm fine. I won't be long".

Rick stared at the door, not sure why he didn't believe her, but he still said, "Alright".

He returned to the bedroom, and sat on the edge of the bed waiting for her to return, as he wanted to apologise to her for his attitude earlier in the day. They hadn't spoken at all after he returned with Carl, and he imagined that she was possibly trying to give him some space, but that was the last thing he wanted.

She finally emerged from the bathroom some time later, already dressed in her pyjamas. She sat in the bed as she tied her long locks into a bun on top of her bed, avoiding eye contact with him.

"I'm sorry about earlier. You were right, I wasn't thinking straight-"

"You don't need to explain it to me Rick, I understand", She sighed.

His eyes focused on her face as he sensed a high level of exasperation in her tone, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just tired"

"Can you look at me please?"

She dropped her hands to her lap and looked at him with slightly puffy eyes, "See? Fine."

"You were crying?", He turned his body to face her, his voice thick with concern, "What's the matter?"

"I'm just really tired", She huffed, slipping her legs under the sheets, "That's it"

"Michonne-"

"Rick-"

"Tell me what's wrong? Did somethan' happen? Was it me?-", He quizzed.

"No, it wasn't you Rick", She shook her head, her gaze drifting away from him, "It's just… Carl said to me earlier that he and Andre are the same because he doesn't have a mom and Andre doesn't have a dad, and it really just got to me…"

Rick's eyebrows sprung up, "He said that?"

"Yeah", She nodded solemnly, "I guess I'm just scared that he won't always see it that way…"

His eyes rolled closed as he thought about it, "Yeah… I understand"

"He told me what his friend at school said… and I'm just- I really don't want us to stay here any longer than we have to. I don't think I can hold up much longer"

"We won't. I promise that we won't.", He insisted, with a soft but firm tone, "One more week at the most, and we're gone, alright?"

She exhaled, looking to the squirming infant beside her, "Alright…"

He took her hand before she could move, and planted a kiss on her knuckles, "I mean it."

She gave him a small, unsure smile, "I know".


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 15:

"Ice cream and cookies"

Carl's dark little brows knitted together as he looked up at Michonne, "Ice cream and cookies?"

"Yep. That's what we're having for dessert tonight. Ice cream and cookies", She repeated proudly, "You melt the ice cream a little bit, then you dip the cookies in it"

"...Chocolate ice cream?"

"That's the one. What do you think about that?"

The little boy seemed to consider the combination, "And it tastes nice?"

"I promise you it does"

The corners of his mouth began to turn up, "Okay, I trust you"

Michonne's heart warmed, "I won't let you down"

They arrived at his class room, and Michonne let the little boy run into join his friends. The biggest soft spot was growing for him in her heart, and she wished she could keep him with her for most of the day, but sadly, that wasn't an option, and he seemed happy enough to go to school.

She strolled back through the playground, feeling uncomfortable. Rick was sat in his truck waiting for her, dressed and ready for work while Andre slept in his car seat beside him. She didn't want the man to go back to work just yet, as she could sense that he was still struggling to cope with his wife's death, but he was adamant that work would help take his mind off it all. She didn't believe that, and she was sure It would make matters worse.

"We're having ice cream and cookies for dessert later. I promised Carl", She informed, fastening her seat belt.

"Yeah? Sounds… questionable", He smirked, starting the vehicle.

"Don't knock it until you try it"

"I won't."

Her gaze lingered on his face, "...If it gets too much then you'll come home, right?"

He sighed, the little smile he wore vanishing, "Michonne, I need this."

"...There's a lot of things you think you need right now but-"

He glanced at her, "But _what?"_

She snapped her mouth shut, her eyes rolling over to the windshield, "Forget it"

His attitude was quickly becoming something she couldn't ignore, which was surprising to her, as he was usually very level headed. She tried her best to be understanding of his moods, but she couldn't help feeling like she was walking on eggshells.

"Listen, I just need some kind of… distraction. I feel like I'm losing my mind when I'm in that house…", He explained softly, glancing over to her again, "I just want you to understand that"

"Yeah", She nodded, looking out of the window.

"...I found a place… last night"

"Oh?"

"Three bedroom house… Carl's only got two weeks left, so I'll have more than enough time to find a new school for him by the time the next semester starts…"

"That's fine-", The car came to a screeching halt as Rick slammed his foot on the brakes, causing Michonne to look at him with wide eyes, "What's wrong?"

He quickly unfastened his seatbelt and climbed out the vehicle.

"Rick?!", Michonne freed herself from her seat belt and proceeded to hop out of the truck, just as the car behind them honked its horn. She raised her hand to the older man in the car, "Sorry! Hold on!"

Rick stalked into the coffee store, his eyes darting around frantically, "What the…"

"Hey", Michonne approached him, resting her hand on his arm, "What's going on? What happened?"

"Did you…. Did you see that?", He quizzed, still looking past her.

"See what? What, Rick?"

He ran his hand over his face, taking a step back, "I just… I don't know- I'm certain-"

The car outside honked his horn a second time, causing Michonne to prompt Rick to move, "Come and tell me about it in the truck, okay?"

"She was right here Michonne", He hissed, his eyes narrowing, "I just- she walked in here-"

Michonne tensed, "...Rick, that's…"

"It was her. She was wearing- she had on her blue dress with the flowers on it and- and her hair was-", he shook his head as he described his hallucination.

"Rick-", The car honked again, and Michonne was scared the sound would wake up her son, "Come on, tell me about this in the car, okay?"

He hesitated, looking around the store at the confused customers again, before nodding, "A-Alright…I'll tell you in the car"

She lead him out the store, just as the man in the vehicle behind Rick's came storming out of his own car, "What the hell going on here?! You're holding up traffic! Some of us have stuff to do you know?!"

"We're sorry about that, sir", Michonne apologised, holding her hands up in surrender, "We'll be out of your way"

"I wasn't talking to you, _girl",_ the man snarled, "Go on and get!"

Michonne froze, her mouth falling open with shock, but her head turned to Rick's truck when she heard the faint wail of her son.

"What did you just say?", Rick squinted at the man as he took a step closer to him.

"Just get your car out the way-"

"What did you just say to her?", He repeated firmly, tilting his head at the man.

"Look, Deputy, you can walk around here with who you like, but that one over there", the man pointed at Michonne, "She ain't welcome around here-"

Michonne gasped when Rick's fist knocked the man in the face, leading him to stumble back against the hood of his car. Rick was on him in a flash, holding him by the neck as his fist came down on his face again and again. Her son began to cry louder and Michonne looked at the truck again, then back at Rick, pounding the man unconscious.

"Rick! Stop!", She called, trying to get his attention from a safe distance.

It seemed to do the trick, as he hit him one more time before pulling away from the man with his knuckles covered in blood. Michonne ran around his truck and climbed in through the passenger side to retrieve the infant.

People were rooted on the pavement and looking through store windows, stunned. Michonne called for him again as she glanced through the back screen window, "Rick!"

He finally moved away from the unconscious man, panting as he walked back to the driver's seat. He climbed in and slammed the door, appearing to be in a daze.

"Let's go home, okay?", Michonne offered softly, "You should rest"

He slowly nodded, "Yeah… yeah. Alright…"

She slipped her son back into his car seat, all the while peaking at Rick, who hadn't started the vehicle yet.

"I-is he alright? Was he crying?", Rick asked frowning down at the baby between them.

"He's okay, he just woke up", She assured, "It's fine… let's go…"

"...Good".

Michonne wasn't sure what to think of Rick's behaviour. She saw a side of him that she didn't even think existed, and it scared her. It scared her because she didn't know what to do, or anyway to help him, besides staying with him.

When they arrived back at the home, She sent him up to the bedroom to change out of his uniform, while she tended to her son. She hoped he would go to sleep, as she had noticed a change in his sleeping pattern. She knew she'd fall asleep before him, but whenever her son woke in the night, Rick appeared wide awake beside them, as if he hadn't slept at all. It was only as morning approached that he'd get two or three hours rest, and then he'd be up with them once the kids had woken. It worried her greatly.

She had just put her son down for a nap when there was a knock at the front door. She listened for Rick as she went to open it, wondering what he was doing on the second floor of the home.

"Hey", Sasha wore a look of concern when Michonne opened the front door, "Is Rick in?"

She glanced back over her shoulder, "He is… is this about… the guy?"

"What happened? We had to call an ambulance for him?"

Michonne lowered her voice, "...He wasn't very polite to me and Rick… he just… he's having a tough time right now"

"I know, Michonne, but he-"

"No. I mean he's having a really tough time right now", She stressed, "He… he thought he saw… her"

Sasha narrowed her eyes at her, "Huh?"

"He said he saw her, that's why we stopped in the first place… then the guy kept beeping at us and… he just… pounced on him"

The deputy stared at Michonne for a few moments, before shifting her stance, "...I'm going to need to talk to him. If he needs more time off then-"

"He does."

"...Alright. Where is he?"

Michonne backed away from the door, "I'll get him. Come in, go take a seat"

Sasha did was she was told, while Michonne trudged up the stairs, hoping Rick was in a position to talk. She checked the bedroom and the bathroom, but to no avail, and she was going to check Carl's room when she noticed Lori's door was ajar.

"Rick?", She tapped lightly on the door frame, hoping he would come out, so she wouldn't have to go in.

The door swung open, and he took a small step back, "I found it"

Her eyes widened, "What? What did you find?"

He motioned towards the bed, where a blue floral dress was laid out on the comforter, "This is the dress. She was wearing it"

Michonne's eyes crawled up from the dress and back to Rick's, "Uh, Sasha? She's down stairs… she needs to talk to you"

His gaze moved around the room as he wore a pensive expression, "Yeah?"

"...Yeah"

"Alright. I'll come down and talk to her"

She wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but she truly had nothing to be relieved about. They both descended the stairs and headed to the living room, where Sasha sat bouncing Andre on her lap, "I swear, he was awake when I walked in"

Michonne gave her a warm smile, as she joined her on the couch, "I believe you"

"What's going on?", Rick rasped, taking a seat in the recliner.

Sasha handed the infant over to Michonne, "The incident earlier, with Mr Hill?"

"Yeah?", Rick nodded nonchalantly, as if he were just told it was raining outside.

"...I need to talk to the chief about it. He'll probably want to talk to you too-"

"That's fine. He can give me a call, I need to talk to him anyway"

Sasha eyed him for a time, "Okay. Well, I need you to lay low for a while, until we can talk to Mr Hill and sort this thing out…"

"Alright…", Rick sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees, "What's going on with the case?"

"Uh…", Sasha's gaze dropped, "We're still trying to-"

"What is it?", Rick pressed, "What's happening?"

His friend huffed, glancing at Michonne before she looked at Rick, "He confessed. He's not fighting the charges…"

Michonne stopped rocking her son as she peered at Sasha, while Rick barely moved.

"He admitted that he killed her… he said they had gotten into an argument. She came back to get him, and she was complaining about the house… the smell… him. He said he just flipped because she kept 'nagging' him…"

Michonne almost flinched when memories of her son's father swarmed her mind. It sounded all too familiar for her.

Rick sat back in his seat, his eyes glazing over as he stared past Sasha, "...Right"

Sasha sighed, "He'll have a speedy trial… his story is consistent with Merle's… her parents are still fighting their involvement…"

"Got it."

"...I have to get going-"

"I'll walk you out", Michonne offered, standing up with her son in her arms. She dreaded to think what this new piece of information would have on Rick, and what that meant for the rest of them, "Thanks for… the update…"

Sasha stepped out the house, giving Michonne a sympathetic look, "No problem… he has my number, so just call me if anything and I'll be right over"

"Thanks. I appreciate that", She bid farewell to the other woman, and closed the door gently behind her. Rick hadn't moved, still sat staring across the room, so Michonne approached him carefully, resting Andre against her chest, "...Hey"

"...He killed her for nagging him", He whispered, his tone was coated in disbelief, "Because she was nagging him? I can't- I won't believe that. I won't"

Michonne exhaled slowly as she took a seat on the edge of the coffee table in front of him, "...That was a word he used often. 'Nagging'. One thing he didn't like was being 'nagged'. Even if it was just a simple question… if he wasn't in the mood to hear it then… he'd 'flip'... it didn't really take much for him to do that"

"Why…", Rick's eyes landed on her, glistening with tears as he frowned, "Why didn't you come to me?"

She wasn't expecting that question, so she gave a little shrug, "I didn't think to…"

He leaned forward, "I wouldn't have let that happen. I wouldn't have let any of that happened to you-"

"It's not that simple, Rick"

"You shouldn't have left. You should have stayed here with me and I would have protected you-"

"You can't say that", She bit the corner of her cheek to stop her face from crumbling, "You wouldn't have had Carl, and I wouldn't have had Andre. So you can't say that, Rick"

He shook his head, causing a tear to fall from his lashes, "You should have stayed. You should have stayed with me. You would have been safe and Lori would still be alive. She would have been happy with someone else and… I wouldn't have drove her to do all of this. I should have gotten you to stay, then all of this wouldn't be happening. Carl wouldn't have to grow up without a mother and Andre wouldn't have had that son of a bitch as a father"

She snapped her eyes shut, turning her head away from him, "I couldn't have stayed, Rick"

"Did you even care about me back then? Did you?"

She quickly looked back at him, incredulously, "Of course I did, how can you even say that?"

"Then why was it so easy for you to leave? Why was it so easy for you to just leave me for all those years? It took so long for me to… and you just went off and you didn't even give me a second glance"

Michonne knew his emotions were all over the place, and he wasn't in the right frame of mind, but she couldn't help but plead her case to him, "I always thought about you, Rick. Always"

"Then why didn't you-"

She used her free hand to rest it on his cheek, while the other cradled Andre, "I'm sorry I didn't come back sooner, and I'm sorry for leaving you, but you can't blame anyone else for what he's done. Even if I stayed and we ended up together… he would have still ruined someone else's life"

He closed his eyes, forcing tears to roll down his cheek. Michonne felt the weight of his head on her hand and he leaned into her hold, "I just wish I could have done more. She didn't deserve that… she didn't"

"I know", her thumb brushed his cheek bone, "It's okay to feel that way"

She wished she could rid him of the pain he felt, but she knew well enough that it wasn't that easy.

The next day was no better than the previous one. It was the day of Lori's memorial and Rick's mood was a solemn one, while Carl was none the wiser. It was easier to keep Rick upstairs, while Carl stayed downstairs, so the boy didn't pick up on his father's sadness whenever he showed his face.

"...What are your mom and dad like?", Carl asked out the blue as they ate popcorn on the couch.

Michonne paused, her hand hovering over the bowl between them, "...I'm not sure. I haven't seen them since I was little, like you"

Carl's eyes widened, "How come?"

"...They are very busy people", She lied.

"...So who took care of you?"

She was surprised by his sudden inquiry, "My aunt did."

"...I don't have an aunt… but mom told me I have an uncle that lives faraway"

"Really? That's nice. I don't have any uncles", That she was aware of anyway, "I know you have a lot of grandparents?"

"Yeah. They're nice. They get me a lot of toys"

"That's great", Michonne smiled down at him just as the doorbell rang, sending a little chime throughout the home. She was tempted to pretend that no one was home, but Carl jumped up and ran to the door, so she had to follow behind him.

To her displeasure, it was Rick's mother and father, both wearing their black attire for the memorial. She had never even seen Rick's father before, and she was surprised to see how much the father and son looked alike. He had the same steel blue eyes that both Rick and Carl often peered at her with, and he was tall, with a full head of grey hair, swept back neatly.

"Hi grandma! Hi grandpa!", Carl waved, running into his grandfather's arms.

"Look at this gorgeous little boy, how are you doing, son?", His grandmother beamed, kissing him on the cheek.

"You're getting real big there aren't you?", His grandfather lifted him off the ground, "You'll have to pick me up soon!"

"You're too big, grandpa", Carl shook his head at the man.

"Oh? I guess I am then"

Leslie turned to Michonne, "Good afternoon, is my son around?"

Michonne shook her head, "He is, but he's not feeling too well right now"

She raised an eyebrow at her, "Oh?"

"Yeah…"

"Well we heard what happened in town yesterday…"

Michonne crossed her arms over her chest, "Yeah."

"I'd imagine that the two of you would really appreciate if my proposal were to be set in place now… to distract from the commotion my son caused yesterday?"

She shook her head the second time, not wanting to be the one to break the news that they plan to refuse her offer, "We haven't had a chance to really talk about that, with him being unwell and all"

His mother narrowed her eyes for a second, "Well, be sure to tell him to give me a call when y'all have decided. The sooner the better"

Michonne nodded, "Got it."

"Well we have to go my little munchkin, but I will see you again very soon, alright?", Rick's father kissed Carl on the cheek before putting him down.

"Goodbye sweetheart, we'll see you soon, okay?"

Carl waved to them both, "Bye!"

Michonne could easily see how Rick allowed his parents have so much say over most of his life. The way they cooed over Carl was sweet to see, and she imagined that when someone was in their good books, they had the ability to build them up to the heavens, but also capable of tearing them down just as easily.

She and Carl returned to their places on the couch, watching movies while Andre laid on his mother's lap. It wasn't long after their visit from Rick's parents that the man himself surfaced, hovering by the living room door.

"Did I hear the door?", His tone was husky, as if he has just woken up.

"...Yeah. you parents dropped by", Michonne answered, standing up with the infant and quickly stepping past Carl so she didn't obscure his view of the television.

"Why didn't you wake me?", Rick quizzed his face pinching with annoyance, "What did they want?"

She inched past him, "I'm not sure. Probably something to do with what your mom said last time she was here"

He followed her down the hall, "Next time come and get me if someone's at the door-"

"You've been up all night, Rick. I'm not going to wake you when you finally do sleep", She headed straight for the fridge and took out a readymade bottle for Andre.

"I don't want you talking to them", He stated firmly, watching her every move, "I don't want them coming around here either"

She sighed, not in the mood to argue, "Fine"

"I mean it, Michonne-"

"I know, Rick", She bit back, closing the door to the microwave a little too loudly, causing Andre to jump in her arms. She hushed him, rocking him back and forth, "Sorry, peanut"

Rick moved closer to her, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's fine", She huffed, slightly turning away from him.

"...They didn't give you any problems did they?"

"No. It was a quick visit"

He nodded, "Well let me feed him, you go sit down-"

"It's fine, I've got it"

His tone softened, "I haven't even held him today"

Her heart sighed at his words and she reluctantly turned back around to face him, allowing him to take the infant from her. He placed a little kiss on Andre's head as he held him against his chest, and Michonne was glad his attitude had not changed towards the two boys.

"Mimi! I knocked my juice over!", Carl announced, running into the kitchen with his empty cup.

"Let's clear that up then", Michonne grabbed a few paper towels from the counter and followed him back into the living room.

"I didn't mean to… I don't want mom to get upset", Carl admitted, standing over her as she dabbed the rug.

Michonne looked over her shoulder at him, "She liked this rug a lot?"

The little boy nodded.

"Well don't worry, I'll clean it up and it'll be as good as new"

"Okay…"

"You have to be careful son", Rick issued, strolling into the room whilst feeding Andre, "You don't wanna be clumsy like your dad"

Carl began to giggle, "Dad knocked over a bunch of glass in a store once"

"A bunch of glass?", Michonne repeated with a raised brow.

"A wine glass display", Rick clarified, taking a seat on the couch, "Where they put it was ridiculous"

"That's it, blame the store", She teased with a smirk.

"You wouldn't pile a bunch of glasses up to make some kind of mountain, then put it right beside one of those shelving units-"

"They all crashed on the floor!", Carl ejected with a smile, "Mom told him off"

"She did…".

Michonne didn't miss the way Rick's gaze fell asleep he agreed with his son. She imagined the day would be one of the toughest for him, as well as her funeral. She turned to Carl, "Hey, why don't you go get your Avengers action figures and we'll put the movie on?"

His eyes lit up and he bolted out the room in the blink of an eye.

She sat back on her heels, lowering her voice as she directed her attention to Rick, "Have you thought about… maybe… going to the service?"

He shook his head, still looking down at the infant in his arms, "No."

She tried to keep her tone light, "I think it might help you, Rick-"

"Help me with what?", His eyes rolled up to meet hers.

"It might give you a chance to say goodbye to her… properly?"

"What will that change? How will that help me?"

She could sense he was challenging her, so she said nothing as she gathered the towels from the rug.

"I told you, I saw her right? I saw her laying there-", he stopped himself, continuing coldly, "She's dead. There's nothing I can say to her. It won't change anythan'..."

Michonne stood up and left the room without another word, considering herself silly for bringing the topic up. She decided the best thing for her to do was to avoid the subject of Lori altogether, at least until he was in a better mood.

She returned to the living room to find her son back in his swing seat, fast asleep with a milk goatee, while Rick stood at the living room window, running his hands over his face as he groaned. She walked up behind him, resting her head on his back as she laced her arms around his waist. He sighed, untangling one of her arms and bringing her hand up to his lips, kissing the back of her knuckles.

"It's going to be okay. It will", She breathed, tilting her head up so he could hear her clearly.

He gently squeezed her hand, "It's know it will, Lori"


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 16:

Rick woke in the early hours of the morning drenched in sweat. He sat up, his bare chest heaving as he looked around the dark room, his vision slightly blurred. When he realised his nightmare was over, he began to calm, looking to Michonne and Andre, who were still sound asleep in the bed, her hand resting protectively over the infant. Rick rubbed his eyes hard before throwing his legs out of the bed, standing up to get a glass of water.

His nightmares were awful. So awful, that he hated going to sleep. He would stay awake for also long as he could, trying to survive on little naps. He knew it was wreaking havoc on him, but he just couldn't bare seeing his dead wife in his dreams again.

When he returned upstairs after quenching his thirst, he climbed back up the stairs tiredly, but not prepared to go to sleep just yet. He reached his bedroom door when he stopped, his eyes rolling up to meet Lori's bedroom. He hovered for a moment, before stepping cautiously towards the room.

He was sure he could still smell her perfume in the air. She had always worn the same perfume, so he could never mistake it. He sat down on the bed, his eyes roaming over the other pieces of furniture, her dress still laid out from the day before.

" _Rick_ …"

He raked his fingers through his hair as he leaned forward, snapping his eyes shut.

" _Rick_? _What are you going to tell Carl_?"

The voice was perfectly clear, as if the words were being whispered in his ear.

" _I gave my life trying to keep this family together, Rick. You know that don't you_? _Why didn't you just give me another chance_?"

He huffed into the night air, "I didn't love you that way"

" _Like you love he_ r? _You loved her so much that you protected her over me_?"

"No.", He shook his head, his eyes still closed.

" _You did though, Rick. You chose her over me. You chose her safety over mine. You only cared about her and her son_ … _and not your own_ -"

"I was gonna follow him. I was. I swear, I was… I just didn't think he'd do that to you"

" _But you thought he'd do it to her… that's why you tried so hard to keep her safe. You knew I was with this man, you knew how dangerous he was… why didn't you help me_? _Why didn't you protect Carl's mother_?"

"I should have. I'm sorry. I should have. I know that I should have"

"... _Remember when you used to stand by that window with me_? _When I used to come up behind you like she did_?"

He nodded, his lashes wet with tears, "I do. I do."

 _"Are you happy now, Rick_? _You finally have her_?"

"I love her. I've always loved her. But I'm not happy. I can't be happy"

"... _You can't protect her_ "

"I can. I can, and I will-"

" _You can't protect either of them, from anything_ "

"I will. I will. You'll see"

"Rick?"

"I'll prove it to you-"

"Hey? What's going on?", When Rick felt a hand rest on his shoulder, he jumped, smacking the hand away from him.

Michonne's backed away from him, and Rick froze in horror, "Shit, I'm sorry-"

"What are you doing?", She quizzed, looking at him from head to toe.

"I was… I was losing my damn mind", He groaned, dragging his hands over his face, "I'm sorry I didn't hurt you, did I?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm fine… are you okay?"

He didn't even attempt to answer. He stared at the wall in front of him, trying to calm his racing mind.

"...Come back to bed. You need some rest…"

Rick knew Michonne was only trying to help, and he appreciated that greatly, but he couldn't bear to hear her insist he 'rest' for a countless time, "You go ahead. I'll be in soon"

She didn't immediately move, her eyes glued to his face, "Please?"

There was a degree of desperation in her tone that caught his attention. He looked up at her, feeling guilty for wanting to get rid of her only moments ago, "Alright"

She held her hand out to him, and he took it. She turned to lead him out the room, but Rick had other ideas, as he stood up and pulled her to him, grabbing hold of her waist when she was close enough.

"Rick", She placed her hand flat on her chest to stop him, "Let's just go to bed"

"I need you right now", He rasped, burying his face in her neck.

"This isn't what you need", She countered, placing the other hand on his chest, "This won't help you"

He bit the skin on her neck as he held her against him, pressing his growing erection on her crotch.

Her breathing changed, her head almost rolling back to expose even more of her neck, when she snapped out of the beginnings of his trance, "Rick, no. This won't-"

"Don't you want me?", He lifted his head to look at her, his eyes searching her face for the truth.

"Of course I do", She stressed with a little frown, her hands cupping his face, "But not like this"

"Then how?"

"When you're … when you're thinking properly, Rick. Right now you're not-"

"You keep telling me what I'm thinking, when if you knew what I was really thinking, you'd understand why I need you"

"Then tell me", She urged, "Let me help you another way"

He scoffed, shaking his head as he backed away from her, "Go on. Go to bed"

Her frown intensified, "Rick, please. I'm trying here-"

He sat back down on the bed, returning to his previously position.

Michonne huffed, running her hands over her hair, "I wish you would just listen to me. You won't even- I'm trying to help you, that's all I've been doing, and I feel like you will only let me do so much-"

"You can't help me", He shook his head, his gaze moving rapidly around the room, "There's nothing you can do. Noting anybody can do-"

"Well you need it. You need to accept it, because you have a child, Rick. You need help so you can help him. If I left tomorrow then who would look after-"

"What?", His gaze fell on her.

"I said you need help so you can help him-"

"No, no. You said if you left tomorrow, what does that mean?"

She huffed, "It's was an example. If I did leave tomorrow then what would happen with Carl?"

"You planning on leaving sometime soon?", Panic rose in his chest, and he did his best to keep his tone calm.

"No, I don't."

"Then why would you say that? Do you want to leave?"

"Of course I want to leave", She scoffed.

"Not like that, you know what I mean. I'm asking if you want to leave me, again?"

She exhaled tiredly, "No. No I don't, Rick. But I don't want to be afraid to leave you or Carl either"

"What are you saying Michonne?", He stood up again, looking at her through narrowed eyes, "Are you trying to tell me somethan'?"

She rolled her eyes shut before dropping her head in her hands, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving you again, but I shouldn't be afraid to leave you. I shouldn't have to worry about Carl being in your care if I do. That's the problem. You won't let me help you, and if you won't let me help you, then I don't know what else I'm meant to do"

He looked down with her with intense, pensive eyes.

She lifted her head again, her lashes wet with tears, "I'm stuck in this God forsaken town, being looked down on by everyone and their mother, all while living in Lori's shadow, and Lori's house, trying to look after you, Carl and Andre and having to come to terms with the fact that my sons father is a fucking murderer and he's the reason Carl doesn't have a mother anymore. I'm not equipped to deal with any of this, in fact, I'm the last person who should be dealing with this because I've spent nearly most of my life running from my own shit, but here I am, trying to hold it all together and it's… it's taking its toll, Rick. It's draining and I just don't know what else I'm meant to do anymore because I've never made it this far before"

He was almost speechless, angry with himself for not taking into consideration how she must've been feeling. He reached out, stroking his hands down her arms, "It's alright-"

"No. It's not. It's not alright and it hasn't been for a while now", She sniffed, using the back of her fingers to wipe her tears.

It wasn't as if Rick couldn't see her point, as he could, but guilt crippled him. It was all he thought about and he thought it was draining too. He pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her, "I can't-… it's not easy right now. I wish it was, but it's not"

"I know… it doesn't get easier… but if you let it consume you then you won't learn how to heal from it all. You won't lead a healthy life… and neither will Carl", Her head rested against his chest, "I just want you to rest…"

He slowly inhaled, deciding that after all she had done for him, the least he could do, if nothing else, was rest for her. The thought scared him, and he feared he would find himself back in that same nightmare that had haunted for days, but he was going to sleep for her.

Rick followed her back to his bedroom, and they took their rightful places in bed. He stared up at the ceiling, as mentally preparing himself to drift off had become a routine, and he closed his eyes timidly.

It was light movements that woke Rick, as well as the bright light from the sun, pouring in from the window. He forced an eye open and glanced around the room, stopping when he felt the movement again. Titling his head further, he looked down and saw Andre, on his back, with his pacifier in his mouth. The infant kicked his legs every so often, his tiny fists balled up as he did.

Rick gave him a sleepy smile, "I wonder how long you've been up for…"

He rolled on to his side and admired the boy's frolicking, living in his own little world. Rick had always loved children, and he dreamed of having as many as he could. Watching Andre was soothing to him, and put his mind at ease, the same way watching Carl used to. He even found himself chuckling when Andre sneezed, leading his pacifier to fall out of his mouth. He picked it up and popped it back in, and Andre eyes crept up to his, as if the baby had realised he wasn't alone.

"Hey there", Rick sighed, letting him grab hold of his finger, "You okay?"

Andre's gaze sailed away from him.

"I guess you are"

He heard the faint sound of laughing coming from the bottom floor, and he easily identify his son's chortle, and Michonne's, but the third was a male's laughter.

A short while passed, and he heard footsteps climbing up the stairs. He knew it was Michonne's, as Carl always ran up the stairs with urgency. She appeared in the doorway, her eyes widening a small fraction when she saw he was awake, "You're both up…"

Rick gave her a little nod, "What time is it?"

"Three o'clock", She replied, giving her son a smile as she leaned over him, "Hi Peanut"

"Three? In the afternoon?"

"Yep."

Rick was amazed. He managed to get more than just a few hours' sleep, "Who's here?"

"Shane. He just got back from the funeral.. "

"Yeah?", He watched her closely, "He been here long?"

"...Maybe two hours?"

Rick's eyebrows sprung up, "Doing what?"

"Playing with Carl. He wanted to take him to the park but… obviously you weren't awake so they settled for the backyard"

Rick wouldn't admit it aloud, but he didn't trust Shane, not after what happened with Lori. The last person he wanted spending time around Michonne was Shane, "Alright…"

"How are you feeling?", She gave him a brief look of concern.

He nodded, "Good."

"I'm happy to hear that", She scooped up the infant and placed him on her chest, "Your mother might come by here…"

He frowned at her, "Why?"

"...Shane let it all out. Everything…"

He continued to watch her with an apprehensive look.

"Everyone knows everything about Lori. He said he 'snapped' on her parents…"

"Yeah?"

She nodded, "Yeah. I don't know how your mother would feel about that"

"Knowing her, she's probably glad", Rick scoffed, sitting up in the bed, "She doesn't need to get her hands dirty"

"...You coming down?"

He looked at her for a moment, considering what that meant, and finally nodded, "Yeah"

Rick hadn't seen Shane since his visit to his home in the first few days after Lori's death, and with everything that had happened subsequently after that, he didn't really want to see anyone besides Michonne and the kids.

He followed her into the living room after putting a t-shirt on, and found he Carl and Shane sat in front of the TV, "What's going on?"

Shane looked up at him, "Hey, you up?"

"Yeah…", Rick sighed, taking a seat in the recliner.

Shane was dressed in his mourning wear, a black shirt and black pair of pants, his jacket draped over the arm of the sofa beside him, "How you been?"

"...Good, I guess", He watched Michonne take a seat in the opposite chair, "You?"

"...Well I was until today. Her damn-", Shane stopped himself, glancing at Carl, "The parents tried to tell me I didn't have a right to be there"

Rick's frown intensified, "Yeah?"

"Yeah, man. Said I'm one of the people that drove her to… him", The other man rubbed the back of his neck, "I just started yelling and cussing. I forgot myself"

Rick sniffed, looking to his son for a moment, then back at Shane, "So everybody knows now?"

Shane huffed, "I'm pretty loud when I yell, so they must have heard me. Sasha came and showed me out… said she'd come by here too later. The chief came and paid his respects too"

"Yeah? I need to speak to him…", Rick was sure he saw Michonne peer at him for a brief moment from the corner of his eye.

"Yeah? You feel up to getting out there again?"

Rick inhaled slowly, ready to answer truthfully, "No. Not yet"

Shane's eyes widened a by a small fraction, while Michonne looked slightly relieved by his response.

"We aren't- we plan to head to the city. We need to get out of here", He spoke vaguely, hoping his son wouldn't care to pick up on the adult conversation going on over his head.

"Yeah? You wanna' leave?", Shane repeated, a degree of shock to his tone.

"Yeah. We ain't getting much from around here anymore…"

His ex-best friend had a range of emotions flash across his face, before nodding, "I get it… I do. With everythan' that's happened… it makes sense"

"Yeah."

"...They're demolishing the house. The one she was… they're knocking it down soon, building somethan' better up there"

Rick slowly nodded, "They should. They need to get rid of it."

Shane glanced at his watch, "Oh shoot. I need to be heading out. Uh, you wanted to give me somethan', Michonne?"

Rick didn't miss the way her gaze dropped before standing up, "Yeah, uh, hold on"

"When you plan on leaving?"

"As soon as… by the end of next week", Rick answered, still watching Michonne until she disappeared out the room.

"Yeah? That soon, huh?... Well I'll stop by before then"

Shane bid farewell to Carl, then made his way to the front door, where Rick hovered behind him. Michonne reappeared, holding a white envelope out to the man, "Thank you"

"No problem", Shane took it from her, then gave them both a small wave as he stepped out the home, "Y'all have a good day"

"Alright, bye", Rick called, slowly closing the door behind him. As soon as the door clicked closed, he turned back to Michonne, "What was that you gave him?"

She bounced Andre on her shoulder, "Just a letter"

"A letter?"

"Yeah. To Mike"

A host of emotions ran through Rick, "You wrote a letter to Mike?"

She nodded, "Yeah. I had to-"

"You had to? What was it about?"

"It was just a closure letter, Rick", She explained calmly, "Something to end everything…"

He eyed her suspiciously for a time, "Why didn't you tell me you was doing that?"

"I only thought of it this morning. It just so happened the Shane came over so I asked him if he can hand it over to him", She looked down at Andre in her arms, "I needed to say a few things to him, and I didn't want to call him or see him to do it"

He watched her closely, "Like what?"

She exhaled through her nose, "Like I hope this haunts him. I hope he can never find peace. And I hope he forgets what the word freedom even means"

Ricks growing paranoia died down quickly, and his gaze fell on Andre, "Are you scared what Andre's going to think?"

"I'm scared what they're both going to think"

Rick reached out and ran his hand over the baby's back, "We'll deal with that when the day comes"

"Yeah."

Not spending the day hiding out in his room gave Rick a chance to see what Michonne did with the kids in his absence, and his admiration for her sky rocketed. She played with Carl, whilst keeping her own son close, entertaining them both. He never meant to leave her to fend for herself while he mourned, but truth be told, he found the isolation to be the best form of punishment. He felt that he deserved to be locked away with his thoughts, torturing himself with images of his dead wife, but Michonne also deserved help, and his son deserved a stable parent.

"You ready for bed, buddy?"

Rick watched as his son pulled his sheets over his legs, giving him a quick nod, "Yep"

"Good… I need to talk to you about somethan'...", He perched on the edge of the bed, facing his son, "...Do you like what's going on here? With Me, you, Andre and Michonne?"

Carl nodded, "Yeah"

"...Would you like it to stay like this?"

"...I think so"

"You like Andre and Michonne, right?"

"Yeah. Mimi's nice… Andre's a baby so he doesn't talk. But I like him"

Rick beamed down at him, brushing his dark locks from his face, "How would you like it if we got our own house? So Andre has his own room, next to yours?"

Carl seemed to consider his father's words, "A new house?"

"Yeah. You can have your room like this or you can change it? You can even help decorate Andre's room for him. How's that sound?"

The boy frowned for a few seconds, "Okay."

"You alright with that?"

"Yeah, but what about mom? Does she know where we're going?"

Rick had prepared for his son to mention his mother, "She knows. Your mother will always be with you, even if you don't see her, and even if you don't think about her for a little while… she's there with you, alright?"

Carl nodded, "Okay"

"That's my boy"

Rick left his son to sleep, and headed back down stairs where Michonne was splayed on the couch, with Andre fast asleep in front of her in his swing.

"What are you watching?", Rick rasped, lifting her legs so he could sit, then draping them back over his own.

"Nothing in particular, just anything", She sighed, flicking through the channels.

He nodded, resting his hands on her calves, "Alright"

"How are you feeling?"

He turned his head to look at her for a brief moment, "...I wish I could tell you. I mean, I feel up… awake, but I'm still thinking about so much"

She studied the side of his face, "I can't even remember how long it took for me to focus on something other than Andrea… maybe a month… she was all I thought about"

"Yeah, I guess that's how you can describe it"

"...I kept wishing that I did things differently. I wished that I waited to talk to her about you… or I told her earlier… before we got drunk... sometimes I used to wish I didn't tell her anything at all… and I just left with her"

Rick saw the same glimmer of sadness in her eyes that he had seen plenty of time she before.

"I still have conversations with her in my head sometimes… not as often but… sometimes", She huffed, drawing a little pattern with her finger on her thigh, "It's harder when you feel like you could have done something about it. When you feel like, if you had done just one thing differently, then it could have changed the course of everything else. It's the most devastating kind of guilt that you carry, and I think it's the most dangerous, because you're hoping for someone who's no longer here to forgive you"

Rick didn't know how much more he could cry. He dragged his hands over his face, "Yeah. You're right"

She took one of her hands in his, stroking her thumb over his fingers, "I'm sorry. I really am"

He nodded as he sniffed, "I know, I know you are… and I know you think you're not equipped to deal with this but you've been great. I don't know what I've done to deserve you-"

"You deserve me, as much as I deserve you"

He gave her a small, crooked smile, "I wanna' take care you. I've wanted to for… probably years now. That's what I think you deserve, I won't settle for any less than making you happy"

She bowed her head as she smiled, "Don't make me blush, golden boy"

His heart warmed at the sight of her and he brought her hand up to his lips, kissing the back of her knuckles, "Marry me."

Her smile slowly vanished, "Rick…"

"I know. I know how you feel towards that. You told me that time and time again, even the first time we met... but I want you as my wife, Michonne. I do."

She seemed to hesitate, her eyes darting all over her face, "I don't feel like this is something we should discuss right now-"

"I know what I'm talking about-"

"I don't doubt that, but I don't think you understand the weight of the question and what it means to ask me that now..."

His chest grew tight as he stared at her, "I don't understand the weight of the question? Michonne, I was married to Lori for six years, and if I didn't hear from you then I probably would have stayed married to her for much longer and I know... I know with everythan' that happened, it may sound silly of me to say this but I take marriage seriously. I do. I'm not saying we run off and get married tomorrow and my timing may be a little off but... I still want that. I want that with you."

"There are so many things I want with you, Rick", She insisted, "But that..."

The clouds forming in Rick's mind darkened, "What is it that you're afraid of?"

"Nothing. I'm not afraid of nothing. I am not against marriage, I think if two people want to get married then they should, if that's what they want then they should have that, but I don't feel as if that's a box I need to tick off", She explained calmly, "I love you, and I want to be with you. That's it. Nothing can change that, certainly not a title"

He shook his head, his eyes roaming the room, "I don't agree with that. Marriage is more than just a title and it means we're swearing to stay together"

"I don't feel like I need to get married to swear that to you, and I would hope you wouldn't either..."

His heart felt as if it was going to beat right out his chest, "So you don't wanna' marry me?"

She sniffed, wiping a tear from her glistening eyes, "...I don't."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 17:

Michonne was tired, in every sense of the word. She was amazed she could even stand to have so much hurled at her in such a short space of time. She wanted to just pack up and leave but she wasn't doing that anymore. She was trying to face her problems head on, but it was proving difficult, especially when she wasn't just carrying her own.

When Rick brought up the subject of marriage again, she wanted the couch to open up and swallow her whole. She thought when he woke up that afternoon, he seemed to have gathered some of his bearings. He appeared to be a lot more focused, and active, and she truly believed that he was slowly coming to terms with everything. However, she didn't take into account that he'd jump from one issue to another.

And as she sat across from him on the couch, after breaking the news to him that she didn't want to marry him, she felt as if she had to explain herself better, "I love you, Rick. I do. I'm more than certain that I do…"

He kept his gaze low, not making any attempt to look at her.

"I just… I can't see myself getting married. I've told you that I don't… it's not something I want, and it's not something I'm striving for…", She tilted her head to catch his gaze, "Do you think you could still be with me despite that?"

His brow furrowed, "Of course I can"

She quietly sighed, "But you won't be happy"

He shook his head, "I would. I don't think I can see myself without you now"

Her heart sighed at his words. She scooted closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder, and she was glad when he pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her, "I don't want you to think that this will be any less special because I don't want that. I still want so much with you, Rick"

He slowly inhaled, "I know. And I don't think that at all… I just guess I want you to think about it. Maybe not rule it out completely"

That request was something she could manage, "Okay."

They stayed rooted on the couch for the rest of the night, before finally going up to bed with Andre.

Michonne was so desperate to leave the town that when Monday rolled around, she was already planning to look for jobs in Atlanta, much to Rick's disapproval.

"He's not even six months yet"

She glanced at him from over her shoulder, "I know-"

"I don't think they even let babies this young in day-care", He argued, bouncing the drooling infant on his shoulder, while Carl sat at the table eating his breakfast, "They're meant to be around their family when they're this small"

Michonne huffed, "I know-"

"If they have other babies to look after, then he might get left alone and he doesn't like that. He liked having someone there with him. And he only likes being rocked a certain way-"

"He doesn't like having his diaper changed", Carl chimed, his mouth filled cereal.

"Exactly", Rick agreed, "You have to do it quickly or else he starts screaming the house down"

Michonne had to turn from the sink to look at them both, "I said I was just going to look for a job. Just looking"

Rick peered down at the infant, "I don't think you want to be away from your mama, do you?"

She crossed her arms over her chest as she sighed.

"...Have you thought about painting again?", He suggested quietly, looking at her carefully, "That would work…"

She frowned, shaking her head, "No. I don't… think I can anymore"

"...You could try?"

Michonne had thrown out her paint brushes not long after she left Kings County the first time, and she hadn't wanted to explore her artistic side since, "Yeah… maybe. Uh, what time are you going to speak to your Chief?"

Rick's gaze sailed off and Michonne assumed he was thinking of a reply, but he continued to look away, as if his mind was elsewhere.

"...Rick?"

His eyes darted back over to hers, "Huh? Sorry, what did you say?"

"What time are you leaving?", She repeated gently.

"Oh, uh", He turned to look at the clock on the wall, "Probably when you get back from dropping off Carl"

"Alright"

"I'm finished", Carl announced, hoping out of his seat.

"Alright, let's go get you dressed", She smiled as she stepped past Rick, though the smile quickly disappeared when she was hidden from his view.

She was desperate to get out of the town, and he had promised her that this was their final week, so she was looking forward to leave Kings County behind, not only for her own sanity, but his too.

After helping Carl get dressed and letting him say goodbye to his father and Andre, Michonne strapped him in Rick's truck and they set off.

Dropping Carl off at school in the morning was something she hoped to continue. It gave her a chance to bond with the boy away from others, although she was trying not to come across as step in for his mother. If he thought of her that way then she would accept it, but she wasn't trying to force him into seeing her as such so soon.

"I don't like that brown bread with the seeds in it"

Michonne chuckled as she unfastened Carl's seat belt, confused as to why he would announce such as thing, "Oh? Why not?"

"...It tastes weird", His dark brows knitted together while she helped him out of his seat.

"But it's good for you. You'll grow up big and strong like your dad if you eat it"

Carl looked up at her with a bothered expression, "Dad doesn't like it either"

"Really? What does he like then?"

Carl took hold of her hand as they walked through the playground, "French toast"

"Oh, okay. I'll remember that"

"...Do you like my dad?"

Michonne's breath hitched in her throat, and she tried to mask her surprise at his question, "Do I like your dad? Of course I do, and I like you, too"

The boy nodded, "Okay"

She eyed him, "Why? What's wrong?"

"He said we're getting a new house"

"...Yes, we are", She stopped outside his classroom door, "Is that okay?"

He nodded once again, "Yeah"

"...Did you want to make sure that I liked your dad, first?"

"Yeah. I like you and Andre"

She gave him a warm smile, "And you know I like you…"

"Yeah"

"Okay. Got it".

Once Carl was situated in with his class, Michonne headed back to Rick's truck, glowing from her conversation, but it wouldn't be for long.

"Excuse me, but are you Michonne Turner?"

A woman approached her dressed in a blue suit, clutching her purse at her side, her hair and makeup immaculate. Michonne narrowed her eyes, "Can I help you?"

"Yes, you can intact, I was just wondering if I could possibly get a few words about your involvement with the previous mayor's daughter in law and her death-"

"No." Michonne yanked the car door open.

"Or what about the claims that her parents are trying to get you investigated by child services?"

She stilled, "Excuse me?"

The woman's eyes lit up, "Yes, Mr and Mrs George are trying to-"

"Where did you- who did you hear that-"

"Are you glad that Mrs Grimes is out the way now? Do you feel as if you've gotten your chance to-"

Michonne closed the door, "Have you been hovering around the school waiting for me?"

The woman took a small step back, "I just wanted to ask a few questions"

She looked passed the woman when she noticed two others, one holding a camera, hovering by a black van as if eagerly waiting for their opportunity to pounce.

"Don't come around here anymore", She warned, before marching back towards the school.

Being approached by a reporter shouldn't have come as a surprise to Michonne, as she knew they were buzzing around, looking for information because of Rick's father, but she was wishing she wouldn't have to encounter them.

When she was in the school building, she went straight to the front desk, where a fuller figured Brunette sat licking an envelope, and Michonne didn't miss the way her eyes widened when she saw her.

"Can I speak with the centre director, whatever you call her, please?", Michonne requested firmly.

The woman's head reeled back an inch, "Uh, I'm sorry but you have to make an-"

"I'm sure you already know exactly who I am, and I'm sure you know exactly what's going on with my fam-", Michonne stopped herself, not wanting to fuel anymore gossip, "You know what's going on, I know you do, so I'd appreciate it if you allowed me to go through and speak to the director, please?"

The woman's eyes darted towards the office door, then back at Michonne, "...I think she's busy at the moment- hey, hey what are you doing?"

She ignored the secretary, stalking over to the door and knocking twice.

"You can't just-"

Michonne knocked again, taking note of the name on the door, "Mrs Coleman?!"

The door swiftly opened, and a small blonde woman opened the door, "Yes? What's going on?"

"Can I speak with you for a moment, please?", Michonne huffed.

The director peered behind her at the secretary, then gave her a quick nod, "Yes. Fine. Come in"

Michonne stepped into the office while Mrs Coleman closed the door behind her, "I just want to know if you are aware of a reporter hanging around outside the school?"

Mrs Coleman crossed her arms over her chest, as she walked over to the desk, "Can I just check who you are, please?"

"Michonne Turner. I've been dropping Carl Grimes to school"

The woman nodded, "Uh huh, and can I ask what _your_ relationship is to Carl?"

Michonne began to frown, "I've been caring for him"

"...So like a… _Nanny_?"

She rolled her shoulders back, "I said, that I'm caring for him"

"I need to know who you are to one of my students for me to understand where your concern is coming from-"

"A reporter just approached me outside, and I want to know what precautions you are taking to protect Carl. I don't want anyone harassing him or- or taking pictures of him or anything like that-"

"While I admire your concern, Miss Turner, this is really something I should be discussing with the boys parent", Mrs Coleman insisted dryly, "If Mr Grimes is able to come in and speak with me about it-"

"I'm talking about a child's privacy here!", Michonne snapped.

"And not your own?"

"Excuse me?"

"As far as I'm aware, Carl is completely innocent here, so I have to wonder what you have to hide for you to be kicking up a fuss about one reporter"

Michonne squinted at the woman, "Are you being serious, right now?"

Mrs Coleman shrugged nonchalantly, "I don't see why you're here Miss Turner. I don't think any of this if of your concern as the _nanny_ "

"His mother has passed, and he's still trying to understand that, so the last thing he needs is a bunch of adults waiting around to use him to print shit about his grandfather!"

"I am going to have to ask you to watch your language, Miss Turner. As I said, If Mr Grimes comes in, then I'll be more than happy to discuss his concerns about his son's wellbeing here. Now if that's all you wished to say then I must ask you to leave-"

Michonne reached her boiling point, "I'm taking Carl home. If you can't ensure he's protected, then I don't want him here."

"You don't have the authority to do that"

"Try and stop me", Michonne spun on her heel and stomped to the door.

"I will call the police! His father hasn't notified anyone here that you are allowed to take him out of school"

Michonne said nothing else as she threw the door open. She had experienced a horrible reception from residents before, but she wasn't going to allow any of that to filter down to Carl.

The school was like a maze from the inside, but she was able to track down Carl's classroom, and she knocked on the door hurriedly.

Jacqui stepped into view after some moments, "Michonne? Is everything alright?"

"I need to take Carl home. Family emergency", She insisted, looking past the woman.

"Oh? It's not a-"

"Nothing serious, but we need to go"

The teacher stared at Michonne, "...I don't think I can-"

"I really don't want to cause a scene here, Jacqui She lowered her voice, "So, please? I don't care if you tell them that I barged in here and carried him out, just let me take him home"

Jacqui didn't move immediately, but she eventually nodded, "Okay. Fine. Hold on, I'll get his stuff together"

"Thank you".

Michonne waited patiently outside the room while her mind raced. She was at the end of her tether with everything and everyone around her, and her main priority was keeping her family safe.

When Carl had his jacket and backpack in hand, he was led out the room to Michonne, and she had to manoeuvre way out the building once again. The only comfort she could take from knowing that the principal had called the police, was that she had become friendly with a few officers, so it wouldn't end in a Mexican standoff.

"...Are we going to the park?"

"We can", She insisted, helping Carl back in the truck, "I just have to talk to your dad first"

Michonne didn't have the faintest idea how Rick would react about her taking Carl out of school, but she did know he wouldn't be pleased to hear how the woman spoke to her.

She saw the principal stepping out of the school before she pulled off into the street, and Michonne had to resist the urge to chase her around the playground with the truck.

"Can we have ice cream and cookies for dessert?"

Michonne nodded, still leering out the windshield, "Yeah. Sure we can"

Carl studied the side of her face, "Are you okay?"

Her eyebrows sprung up, and she glanced at him, softening her expression, "Yeah, I am. I promise I am"

"...Alright"

When they arrived back home, she could only breath a small sigh of relief, as a police car pulled up shortly after she did. She helped Carl out, quickly whispering to him, "Go inside"

Carl nodded, not paying attention to the officer that was strolling towards them.

"I need to have a word with you, Mam", The man Michonne didn't recognise spoke sternly.

"That's fine", She closed the door to the truck as she watched Carl run up the porch steps.

"I understand that you withdrew young Grimes from school without proper authority?"

"I brought him home"

"Are you in a position to do that?"

She shifted her stance, "I brought him home"

"Do you know that that is a chargeable offence? Removing a child from school without consent from the boy's parent-"

"I have brought him home to his father. I didn't attempt to run off with him or anything-"

"That is beside the point", The officers tone lost the small degree of warmth it held, "You are not the boy's mother-"

"What's going on?", Rick rasped, stepping down the steps with Andre in his arms.

The other man straightened up, puffing out his chest, "Rick, there was an incident at the school. Mrs Turner took Carl from school-"

"Yeah. I know", Rick lied, "What's the problem?"

"...Well Mrs Coleman and none of the other teachers knew that she had the authority-"

"Well then that's my fault for not communicating that properly", Rick cocked his head at the man, "I'll be sure to let Mrs Coleman know that"

The other man stared at Rick for a moment, before sighing, "Yeah, alright. Well, that'll be all from me"

"Alright then"

They both watched the man stroll back to his car, then Michonne hurriedly explained, "There was a reporter outside the school. I went to talk to the Coleman about it, but she was more interested in finding out who I was to Carl"

Rick began to furrow his brow, "Outside his school?"

"Yes. There was two other guys there and one of them had a camera and-", She slapped her hand to her forehead, "I just freaked out. I didn't want them hanging around out there and I was scared they were going to take pictures of him or something and that woman kept calling me his nanny-"

"Hey", He took hold of her wrist, "It's alright, he's here now"

She released a deep sigh, "I know"

"Come on", He insisted calmly, "I'll go up and talk to her later"

Carl had saturated himself back in front of the television, and Michonne took Andre from Rick so he could go get dressed. She found it strange that she felt safe in the home that he shared with his wife for years. She still avoided Lori's room at all costs, and she was sure Rick had gone back to doing the same.

"His hair looks funny", Carl chuckled, sitting beside her on the couch.

Michonne brushed Andre's hair up, "Don't you like it?"

"I don't think he likes it"

"I should do your hair like this", She teased, turning the brush to his dark locks.

"No way!", Carl curled up in a ball and rolled away from her.

"Why not? You don't like it?", Michonne continued to brush his hair, despite his protests.

"I'm going to look silly!"

Michonne stopped when she felt something warm on her leg, only to see that Andre had thrown up on her. She groaned, lifting her son in the air, "Nice one, Peanut"

"Gross!", Carl laughed.

She wiped the infant's mouth with his bib, then placed him in his swing, "You're on watch duty Carl, while I clean this mess up"

"Okay"

She left for the kitchen, grabbing a few paper towels to wipe her jeans, muttering to herself, "Just great"

It was then that she heard her phone ringing, and Carl swiftly brought the device to her, before bolting back to the living room. Her heart warmed at the fact that the little boy took his job as watching Andre so seriously. She was smiling to herself as she answered the phone, "Hello"

"Michonne?"

Her smile vanished, "Mrs Mable?"

The woman sighed, "I just need a minute of your time-"

"I don't want to talk about Mike"

"I heard that you had a baby? A little boy? Is it true? Is it Mike's?"

She froze, her eyes widening a fraction.

"Michonne? It's true isn't it? You have my grandchild?"

"What do you want?", She demanded.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me. That's my first grandchild, probably my only one now"

Michonne snapped her eyes shut, leaning against the counter, "Mrs Mable-"

"With everything that's gone on, with Mike admitting to this… this mess… I've lost my son, Michonne. I haven't known what to do with myself since I heard the news and… Can you just tell me his name?"

It was a small request, but it still made Michonne feel uneasy, "Andre"

"Andre?", The woman sounded as if she was crying, "That's lovely. That is… Can I- can we set something up? Can I see him?"

Rick strolled into the kitchen, dressed in casual clothes, watching Michonne as he stopped by the fridge.

"I don't want to cause any trouble. I don't, I just want to see him. I just want to-"

"I'm moving, so I don't see how that will work right now", Michonne finally answered.

"You're moving? You're still doing that?"

"I'm not still doing that"

"Does Mike know?"

Michonne's face crumbled with confusion, "No, and why would he?"

"That's his son! He has a right to-"

"He does not have any right, at all, to my son"

"You are being spiteful! You can't just decide whether-"

Michonne hung up the phone and chucked it on the counter, causing it to slide across the surface.

"Who was that?", Rick frowned, stepping closer to her.

She continued on with the task of cleaning herself, "Mike's mom"

He watched her closely, "She know about Andre?"

"Yeah"

"...You need to get a new number"

"I know. I will", she straightened up, throwing the towels in the trash, "There's a lot of things I need to do. That we need to do"

He nodded, "I know. I'm working on it, we can go see the house, sign what we need to sign and get the keys"

She tread carefully, "...So we should start packing up soon"

"Yeah"

"...And I need to get up to my house. Talk to the landlord… start packing things up there"

"Yeah", He agreed backing up towards the fridge.

"And here…"

He stopped, "I will. I know I have to-"

"I'll help, you won't have to do it alone", She insisted, while his gaze trailed off behind her, "Rick?"

"Yeah. We'll do it… I'm gonna' have to talk to her parents and let them come take what they want…"

"You can take the most important things to you and Carl. The furniture can-"

"The furniture can stay", He announced, "We'll just take Carl's stuff and that's it. I don't want anythan' else here"

Her eyebrows sprung up, "Are you sure?"

He nodded, holding his hand out to her, "Yeah. I'm sure"

She readily took it, always eager to accept his effecting, "Okay. That's fine"

He laced his arms around her waist, pulling her in for a tight embrace, and she all but clung to him, still struggling to accept that she was able to do that. Nights when she would long to be held by him were a distant memory.

"What do you think about?", She queried, running her fingers through hair at his nape.

"A lot. Just… a lot", He answered vaguely.

She looked up at him through her lashes, "Like before?"

He shook his head, "No. Not that bad"

"Okay", She dropped her gaze to his denim shirt, "Well you better get going"

"Yeah. I shouldn't be long"

"Alright"

Michonne didn't know why she was beginning to question how simple it would be to just leave the town, but one way or another, she was getting out, even if it was the last thing she did.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 18:**

"Do you like it?"

Rick looked around the spacious kitchen for a countless time. It was bright, with shiny, new countertops and cabinets, and cream walls that opened up the room even more. The smell of paint still lingered in the air. Everything about the brand new home was appealing, and it encompassed the fresh start that he and Michonne both desperately craved.

He tipped his head to look at Andre in his arms, who was sucking away at his little balled up fist, and a content sigh escaped Rick, "I do"

Michonne's face lit up, "Really?"

"Yeah. It's perfect", He insisted, rubbing the baby's back in a slow soothing action, "We'll take it"

She smiled as she dropped her gaze to the boots she wore, "Great."

Rick could see just how much it all meant to her. More than what it meant to him. She was desperate to leave Kings County from the second she stepped foot in its perimeter, and she could finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. He strolled closer to her, "You can stay up here"

She looked up at him, her smile beginning to fade, "Huh?"

"You and Andre. You two stay up here- go back to your house. I'll go back to town with Carl and we'll be back before the end of the week-"

"No, Rick. We can come back with you-"

"I don't want that. She said we can move in as soon as possible so you stay here, make whatever arrangements you need- I'll leave my credit card. You just get your stuff in here. I'll be doing the same."

She exhaled as she looked away from him, "I don't want you to go back there alone. You or Carl-"

"We'll be fine. I'm not…", He hesitated as he struggled to find the right words, "I'm seeing thangs a little more clearly now"

She looked back at him, her eyes radiating nothing but concern, "I know you are, but I'm still worried"

Ricks was about to repeat himself, when Carl rolled into the room on his skates, smiling wildly as he declared, "Look at me! I don't have to push myself!"

Rick smirked as he watched his son, "We might have to get the house anyway. He's probably scratched the floor already"

Michonne giggled as she held out her hands to stop Carl from rolling into the cabinet, "You're right about that"

"I like this house", Carl announced happily as he looked up at her with warm blue eyes, "I can skate in it"

She tilted her head at him playfully, "That's all you need, huh?"

"So… how are we feeling about this place?", The real estate agent smiled from the doorway, placing her hand on her hip as she grinned, "She's beautiful, isn't she? And I'm talking about the house, not your wife"

Rick appeared to chuckle to be polite, but the woman's jokes were unbearably awful. He looked at Michonne for one last look of confirmation, "Yeah… It's great. We'll take it"

Seeing Carl and Michonne so delighted with the prospect of moving filled Rick with such content. He truly believed that his thoughts were no longer cloudy and he could see the present clearly. While his guilt for Lori hadn't been completely eliminated, he was beginning to accept that she was no longer around and there was only so much that he could have done to prevent that. The more he focuses on being present for Carl and Michonne, the further her memory slipped away from him, which was why he was also growing desperate to move. He needed to leave the thoughts and feelings he held for her behind, as well as a few others, back in King's County.

"I don't like this idea", Michonne issued quietly as they stood beside his truck. Having signed the lease agreement and received the keys to their new home, they returned to his vehicle and strapped both boys in their seats. She leaned against the passenger door as she crossed her arms over her chest, "We can start moving everything together tomorrow"

"We're here now", He pointed out gently, "I'm not the only one that has thangs to tie up. I can drop you back at your place and you can start to get your thangs together… I don't want to put it off any longer-"

"It's not because of what happened at Carl's school?", She said in a questioning tone, "Or with your mom, or that officer-"

"Yes", He answered truthfully, remembering how she had been spoken to my numerous people in town, "I won't lie to you, all of that's has somethan' to do with this too. I don't want you to have to deal with that anymore because it's not fair. I should have been there, not you-"

"I handled it, Rick"

"My point is that you shouldn't have had to, but you did and I don't think I'll ever be able to show you just how much I appreciate everythan' you've done for us"

"You don't need to show me", She huffed as she looked past him, "I _know_ that you're right but…"

"...You'll miss me?", He gave her a crooked smile as he reached out his hand and took hold of hers.

She raised her eyebrow at him as she smiled back, "I'll miss Carl"

"Of course, I should have known", He chortled as he pulled her closer to him. She laid her head on his chest and sighed while he held her in a tight embrace, "How are you feeling?"

"Great", She answered easily, "We're finally doing this… I just can't wait any longer. I want us all to get out of there and get in there. Together"

"We will be. We'll be apart for a few days but that's all it will be. I want you to get settled in first and we'll figure out everythan' else after"

"By everything else- you mean furniture, right? Because we'll have none"

He snickered as he kissed the top of her head, "Yeah, that's the first thang we need to work on"

"It is."

The late afternoon sun was beginning to creep into the horizon, creating a soft glow on their skin. He stroked her arm as he peered at their sons' through the passenger window, smiling when he noticed Carl was holding up a book for the infant to see. He held Michonne, "I love you"

"I love you, too", She returned sweetly, "Are you feeling good about this?"

"...I'm feeling good about you. About the boys… about _our_ future. I don't think I've ever wanted somethan' so bad"

"Me neither"

Rick didn't really wish to separate from them any more than she did, but it seemed like the most efficient way for them to handle their move and he couldn't bear the idea that she'd have to withstand any more bad behaviour from the other residents, so he and Carl made the short drive to her small home and they parted ways after Rick made sure that everything was in order. Even though Mike was locked up in a maximum security prison miles away, he still wanted to be sure.

That was another worry that plagued his mind; keeping his family safe. He had failed to see that Lori could have been in danger and he couldn't allow the same thing to happen a second time, which is why he made a phone call to Sasha when they arrived back in Town later that afternoon, asking for the fellow officer and her brother, Tyrese, to be on hand if Michonne needed help. He knew Sasha probably thought it was a strange request but she agreed to do so for him.

Sasha was the only person that he hated to leave behind. Ever since she joined the department she had proven herself to be one of the most genuine people he'd ever met, and he hoped that the new distance between them wouldn't affect their friendship, and he made sure to let her know that when he saw her at the police department the next day.

"Are you thinking about joining the force over there?", Sasha queried from behind Carl. He was perched on her lap, eating a bag of chips that she'd given him.

"Thinking about it", Rick replied honestly. They were sat in a row of seats by the front desk at the department, "You think your brother would have me?"

She snorted at him as she smoothed her hand over the back of Carl's neck, "You think he'd turn down the opportunity to boss someone else around?"

"That's funny because you always struck me as the bossy one", He snickered at her.

" _Anyway_ …", She flicked her poofy ponytail at him, "When are you gonna' start packing up?"

"Already started last night", Rick sat back in his seat, "Just have to tie up a few more thangs and… we can go"

"Your parents?"

A little scowl popped up on his face, "Need to give them their key back."

"...Her parents?"

He knew that she was talking about Lori. He nodded his head, "I'll probably have to let them know that they can have everythan' in the house… Her stuff…"

"...Yeah", She gave him a sad smile, "It won't be the same without you here"

Rick was afraid she'd feel that way, "You know that I still expect to see you around, right? Whenever you're available, you have to come up"

"Of course I will. I don't think I'll be able to go that long without seeing my favorite little guy", She grinned at the back of Carl's head, "You better call me as soon as you're settled"

"Without a doubt…", Rick sat back in his seat and sighed as his mind drifted elsewhere, "Have you seen Shane around?"

Sasha slowly nodded as her gaze trailed over his son's shoulder, "I have. We talk…He's still trying to find his way out of this mess, too"

Rick could sense that she wanted to say more so he remained quiet.

"...This whole thing… It's been crazy. Unbelievable. And my feelings haven't changed. I still think he's an asshole for what he did, not just to me but to you too… But I won't sit here and lie… Helping him out after kinda' weirdly brought us closer together…", She shook her head in disbelief, "But I mean… I'm not going there again"

Rick dropped his gaze momentarily, "...Don't think too hard about it. Whatever happens; happens… And take me out of the equation. I wouldn't hold anythan' against you, that wouldn't be fair. I want you to be happy with _whoever_ you want"

She peered at him from the corner of her eyes as she replied, "...Yeah."

A door nearby clicked open and the two of them looked down the hall with great interest. Rick sprung up from his seat when he saw another Deputy leaving the room, knowing that it was his only chance to speak with his Chief. He raised his eyebrows at Sasha as he stepped past her as if to say 'wish me luck'.

"We'll be right here waiting for you", She peeked her head over Carl's shoulder to see his face, "We'll be alright, won't we?"

"Yep", Carl replied easily as he dug around his big bag of chips.

The Chief was usually quite a stern man with strong opinions that often clashed with others. Rick wouldn't say that he disliked him, but he certainly preferred not cross paths with him unless it was absolutely necessary. He expected the older male to question him relentlessly, make offensive throwaway comments and drive him to the edges of insanity again, but he was surprised to find that wasn't the case.

"...New's spreads like wildfire here. I've heard a lot of shit about you Grimes, shit I don't know If I believe and shit I don't think I want to believe. I know what kind of man you've been when you've had your uniform on and walked balls first through that entrance, and I have to say that you've never been a problem. You were almost admirable and you were doing a good job, considering you were the old mayor's boy. Most of those politicians kids are spoilt little pussies, but not you. You did what you had to do with no complaints and I never heard anyone say a bad word about you…", The Chief rocked back and forth in his seat as he stared at him from across the desk with an unlit cigar in hand, "Until recently of course. Now I'm not gonna' hold any of that against you… but I do have a few questions, and I'd appreciate if you'd answer them before you tear up the roads getting out of here"

Rick slowly inhaled as he sat up straight in his seat, "Go ahead"

"You ever use the department's resources for personal use regarding your… lady friend?", The man lifted one of his fiery red eyebrows at him.

Rick shook his head, "Never. I protected her as best as I could on my own."

"...And how about that wife of yours?"

Rick had a little more difficulty answering that question, "No. Afraid not."

The Chief narrowed his eyes at him, "You wanna' give me a brief summary of the shit storm you had in your front yard? I mean I've already read the files back to back but I also know that those things can be pretty black and white…"

Rick ran his tongue along his top row of teeth as he thought of a way to explain himself, "...With all due respect, Chief Ford, but I'd rather not go into details because I'm still trying to wrap my head around a lot of it. I just know that I'm still in a town that I cannot stand with people that I cannot stand, and my son thinks his mothers at the beach because I'm not ready to tell him that she's dead yet. But I have to. And then the time will come that I'll have to tell him that she was murdered and who she was murdered by. And I'm gonna' have to tell the same story to the boy that I plan to raise as my own."

Chief Ford stared at him.

"I think a lot of the thangs that's happened could have been avoided if I just…", Rick stopped himself. He didn't want to lose his composure, "I don't care what the people in this town have to say because I know what's gone on behind closed doors, and I know what kind of effect it's had on everyone besides myself, and I can't put my family through this for a second longer. I messed up and I've been trying to put it right since… now I can, so I will. So I'd appreciate I'd really appreciate that transfer."

The Chief remained silent for some time before he groaned, "I think that's probably the best option you have here. I'll sign off on it and wish you the best of luck… because _lord knows_ you're gonna' need it"

Rick couldn't believe that he agreed with the man, but he felt good about the fact that he'd be able to leave the department on respectable terms. He had loved his job after all, but he needed to move on, and he was going to use the remainder of the day making sure that he could.

He left the Chief's office and shared a warm goodbye with Sasha before setting out to find his mother. It was the biggest hurdle he faced before he could be truly free. He wished he'd escaped her clutches sooner like his brother had; maybe then he wouldn't have made some of the choices that he did. Even though he did take full responsibility for all of his actions, it had dawned on him that his mother's manipulative ways had fueled a lot of his behavior throughout his life and he was too old to let it continue.

"When are we going back to the new house?", Carl probed gently as he looked at his father from within his car seat.

"Soon. Very soon", Rick promised as he took his attention from the windshield for a moment, "You wanna' go back already?"

"Yeah… I liked it", Carl tapped his little fingers on his knee as he looked around.

"I'm really happy to hear that, buddy", Rick smiled at his admission, "We just gotta' get some stuff cleared up here then we'll head back… And we can get started on your new room as soon as possible. Does that sound good to you?"

"Yeah. I wan' it red", Carl clapped his hands together excitedly.

"You can have it any color you want, son".

The positive side of being back in Kings County with Carl was that Rick could spend some much needed alone time with his son. It was another thing that he had felt guilty about since recent events had robbed him from consoling his son during pivotal moments in the young boy's life. It was never intentional, and he wished that he'd been in a better mind to help Carl cope with the drastic changes that were happening around them.

"Grandma and Grandpa's house…", Carl remarked as he peered out the windshield, "We haven' been here in a long, long time"

"No, we haven't", Rick sighed as he drove up the driveway that led to the stately home, "I just gotta' talk to Grandma for a second so I'm leaving you in charge of the truck. You think you can look after it?"

Carl furrowed his dark brows to show his worry, "But I'm too small"

Rick smirked at him, "Don't worry, I'll be right there watching, alright? All you gotta' do is sit here. I'll be really quick and then we can go get some burgers"

"All-right", Carl chimed uncertainty, "Hurry"

"I will".

Several workers were tending to the lawn and his mother's most prized garden. Rick gave them a little nod as he walked up to the tall, white doors and knocked hard. He expected his mother to be home, hosting some kind of event for the Kings County elite, but he was surprised, and almost horrified to see his father open the door. He backed away so that the senior could step outside too.

His father shoved his hands into his beige pants as he looked Rick from head to toe, "Wasn't expecting to see you around here"

"I could say the same", Rick replied coolly as he glanced back at his truck, "We're leaving the house tomorrow. I'll leave the key in the mailbox for you. I'm taking Carl's stuff but everythan' else is there."

His father began to frown at him, "And where are you heading?"

Rick blinked at him, "Away from here."

"While there's a murder investigation going on? You think that's a wise move for an officer?", His father asked in a cold tone, judgement dripping from his words, "It doesn't make sense to me¬"

"It's not meant to make sense to you, but if you must know he confessed to killing her so all they need to do now is sentence him", Rick peered back at his truck again to check on Carl, "But if they need anythan' from me then they can give me a call. I'm more than willing to help"

Rick looked back towards his father but noticed his mother slipping out from between the doors wearing a stoic expression. His father shook his head, his disappointment clear, "I cannot believe¬"

"Save it.", Rick sighed, "I don't care what you do and don't believe. You can let Lori's parents know that all of her stuff is in the house. I'm not touching any of it and they can have it all."

"You're an ungrateful boy, you know that right?", His father continued anyway as he pulled his hands from his pockets and crossed them over his chest, "After everythan' your mother and I have done to make sure that you could succeed and make somethan' of yourself, you just throw it back in our faces this way. All of this… this mess could have been avoided if you just stopped and used your head, but no. No- you're selfish and self-centered and instead of doing what real man should, like stick around and prove to people that you're sorry for the shame you brought on this town- But no, you choose to run. To run off like some coward. Well let me just tell you this, you disgust me. I don't care where you go, just as long as you stay gone"

Rick stayed quiet throughout his hate spewed speech. He should have known that his father wouldn't bite his tongue. He sighed as he eyed the older man, "As I said, you let her parents know that her stuff is there."

"Did you hear me?", His father stepped forward in a calm, but intimidating manner.

Rick stepped closer too, "My son's in the truck so _take it down_ a notch."

His father stiffened and only turned his head to look towards the vehicle.

"I told you to save it because I'm done caring about what either of you thinks", Rick expressed firmly, "It doesn't matter to me and that's not what I came over to hear. Like I said the keys will be in the mailbox, we'll be gone by noon. Let Lori's parents know"

"How are we meant to see Carl if we don't know where you are?", His mother moved forward as she asked her question, "Or are you gonna' deny us from seeing our only grandson? Huh? You're gonna' keep him from the only family that he's ever known to spite us?"

Rick felt himself getting heated. He wanted to argue that neither of them had ever made any effort to see his son before things took a turn for a worse. Neither of them made any effort at all when it came to his family. The only reason they had remained in contact was due to Lori and her desperate need to climb the social ladder. Her parents were quite the opposite and had always taken great interest in their grandson, but knowing that they would go above and beyond to get Michonne out of the picture to get closer to Carl, Rick couldn't fathom having any kind of contact with them in the future. He rolled his shoulders back as he stared at both of his parents, "Here's your chance to say goodbye. Take it."

His mother's face fell blank. She looked towards the truck, then back at Rick. She looked odd to him. He couldn't tell why but her mouth was downturned and her eyes appeared to move around frantically. She shook her head at him, "You can't just take him and¬"

"You _won't_ get this chance again", Rick repeated as he backed up slowly.

He saw her chest rise as she looked back towards the truck. A few tense moments passed before she stepped around her husband and towards the truck in a hurry, her heels clicking across the white marble porch.

His father didn't move. He didn't look anywhere else but at Rick. He turned up his upper lip as he spoke, "Who would have thought that you'd turn out to be just as much as a disappointment as your brother?"

Rick looked right back at him, "We learned from the best"

"Oh no. No. I respected both of my parents until the day they died. I was a good son. I listened to them and I obeyed them. I would have never embarrassed them or brought shame on them the way you have done us", The man turned up his nose at him, "I take back what I said; I think it's best that you do go. Unless you plan on coming back here with your tail between your legs then I suggest you stay gone"

Rick slowly began to nod his head as he dropped his gaze, "Looks like I'm staying gone then."

He turned around and walked back towards his truck. He didn't expect a conversation with his father to go any differently, and if his father had said such things to him years ago he would have been absolutely crushed, but in that moment he couldn't say anything to evoke any kind of reaction from him.

His mother was stood by the open passenger door speaking to Carl while Rick climbed into the driver's seat. She spoke gently to Carl while holding his hand in hers, "I hope you look after that lovely boat toy that you're grandfather gave you. It's very special. He picked that out just for you"

"Okay", Carl swung his feet back and forth as he stared at her.

His mother hesitated, "...And do good in school. Make sure you listen to your teachers and you do your work. If you do all your work in school then you can be anything you want when you grow up. A doctor or… a lawyer or… I don't know, whatever you want."

"...Okay"

Rick kept his focus on the windshield as he listened to their exchange. He was tempted to hurry things along but it seemed as if she were wrapping things up.

"...I'm sorry that I probably didn't tell you that I loved you enough. I should have, but I'm not…", Rick was tempted to look in his mother's direction when he heard her voice strain but he didn't, and she continued, "It's not something I'm good at- but I do love you, very very much. I guess I've been to busy to be the kind of parent you deserve... but you are very special to me and I hope you'll always know that"

"I love you too, Grandma", Carl chirped back in his sweet tone.

Rick didn't see where she kissed him but he heard it. She then closed the door, "Goodbye Carl… Rick"

He glanced in her direction as he started his truck, "Wave goodbye, son"

"Bye Grandma", His son waved at her as the car began to move, completely innocent to the fact that it may very well be the last time he saw either of his grandparents.

"...So what's next on our to-do list?", Rick asked cheerfully as he tried to distract himself from the tornado of emotions that swept through him.

"Burgers!", Carl raised both of his little arms in the air as he cheered.

"Burgers it is…". He kept up to his side of the agreement and stopped by the Dinner on the way home. While he was beside himself with relief to be leaving, there was something very bittersweet about their impending departure. He spoilt his son by letting him choose any and everything he wanted off the menu so when they did finally arrive home, they had a feast before them. He set all the food out on a blanket on the floor in front of the TV and let Carl pig out until his heart was content. He wanted his son to have a fond memory of their last night in their home.

"You enjoying that cake, buddy?", Rick asked with a grin as he watched his son smear the chocolate dessert on his face as he shoved a piece in his mouth. Carl nodded his head as he chewed and prepared to reach for another piece. Rick gazed at him with adoring eyes, "...I have to tell you that I'm sorry son…"

Carl looked at him with his big bright eyes as he held another piece of cake in his messy little hands.

"You might not understand this now, but I think you're going to be very, very angry with me when you get older. And you'll have all the right to be because I've behaved selfishly…", Rick nervously scratched the back of his neck, "All of us have. All the adults in your life just… failed you. You deserved so much more than what you got saddled with… But I'm gonna' try to turn that around. Not to cover up what I've done but to make sure you know that I've always loved you no matter what… Even if you think one day that I didn't…"

His son continued to look at him as he slowly lifted his treat to his mouth.

"You are the best thang that has ever happened to me…", Rick's eyes glistened as he smiled at him, "And I know you're mother felt the same- she loved you, too. I don't want you to think that… I tried to replace her with Michonne because that's not what I wanted. No one can replace her and we know that, but I think she wants to mean somethan' to you. She wants to take care of you… And I want the two of you to have somethan' of your own. You're own bond… I hope that we can talk about everythan' properly when you're old enough to understand but for now, I want you to always feel wanted because you are..."

Carl stilled, the cake hovering an inch away from his lips. He swiftly leaned over to his father and offered it to him, "Don't cry daddy, here… you can have it"

Rick chuckled at him, "I can have that piece?"

Carl didn't waste any time popping it in his mouth, "There you go"

Rick wiped his eyes with the back of his mouth as he chewed the piece, "Thank you, son."

As to be expected, Rick didn't get any sleep that night, but not because grief and guilt were keeping him awake, but because he wanted everything by the front door and ready to go the next morning. His own items were easy to store; he threw all of his clothes and shoes in a box. The same with any personal effects, documents, and books. There were several photo albums stashed in a cabinet in the living room, and Rick picked out two of them to take as they contained the most images of Carl and Lori. He tried to ignore his wedding album but he realized that he couldn't for Carl's sake, so plucked a few photographs from it and slid it into the other albums, while purposely avoiding looking directly at any of them for too long.

He left his own belongings until last because he knew what he intended to leave and intended to take with him, and it wasn't much. It was while rifling through his things that he stumbled across the birthday card that he'd received from Michonne that kickstarted their decent.

He wasn't sure what to do with it at first and wondered if it was worth any good keeping it, but after staring at the wildflowers that scattered across the face of the card for several moments, he decided he would keep it because It meant so much to him. Anything to do with Michonne meant so much to him. He could remember the first time he ever laid eyes on her so vividly, and if anyone had warned him that she would have such a profound effect on his life for years to come, then he would have believed it.

She was just as troubled as him, if not then more so. She was haunted by things that he had yet to understand and he wouldn't have blamed her if she disappeared after Lori was killed, but she didn't. She'd put up with so much more to be with him and he wanted to release her from that duty. He didn't want either of them to suffer any more for their relationship. They had a chance to have a nurturing and loving family together, which was something that neither of them had ever known, so he was going to grab onto that chance with both hands and never let it go.

By the time the morning came, the hallway of his home was lined with boxes on either side. He gave his son a bowl of cereal to eat while he went up to his room and began moving furniture to the landing, and it while he was up there that he heard the doorbell ring. He was reminded that opening that front door was something that he certainly wouldn't miss.

"How ya' doing?", Shane rasped as he stood with his hands at his sides, wearing his uniform.

"Good", Rick sighed, his eyes scraping up and down the man, "What's going on?"

Shane shifted his stance, "Sasha told me you were heading out soon?"

"Yeah. Today", Rick replied flatly.

Shanes fierce brown eyes trailed behind Rick, possibly in the direction of the boxes, "...You want some help with that?"

Rick would have declined, but he could use some help getting Carl's bedroom furniture to his truck so he took the offer, "...You got a minute?"

Shane scoffed dryly, "I'm on patrol so I got _all_ day"

"Thanks."

It was an easier job with an extra set of hands; they took Carl's white wooden bed down the stairs and slid it into the back of his truck first before retrieving the dresser and wardrobe. Rick wasn't expecting him to help with the boxes too, but he did, and in less than an hour all of their belongings were piled up high and strapped down.

"Can I stay in my Pyjama's?", Carl asked as he shuffled up to his father in his monster house shoes.

Rick looked his son from head to toe, then smirked at him, "Whatever you want, buddy"

Carl grinned as he shuffled back into the quiet living area. Rick looked back at Shane as he stood on his porch and noticed the other man staring after his son, "...He seems to be doing alright?"

"Because he is", Rick replied proudly, "It might not always be like that but for now he's… He's doing good. He's excited to get to the new house."

"Yeah? Whatchu' get? Three bed, two baths?"

"Yeah. Big enough for all of us… His room's bigger so he can grow into that with no complaints…", Rick rubbed the back of his stiff neck.

"Yeah…", Shane survey the neighborhood for a second, "Your parents?"

"They'll be clawing their way over here soon, ready to peck it apart and take it back"

Shane almost snickered, "...What about her parents?"

"I told them to let them know they can get her stuff.", Rick eyed him carefully, "Have you talked to them?"

"Hell no. They don't wanna' see me and I don't wanna' see them…", Shane shook his head adamantly as the suggestion, "...I'm sure they'll be over here as soon as they can, too."

"I wouldn't put it past them…", Something dawned on Rick, and he found himself asking, "You ever give that letter to Mike?"

Shane appeared taken back for a split second, but it seemed as if he decided against pretending, "...I almost did. I wanted to because she asked but…"

Rick waited to hear him say it.

"I didn't… I _couldn't_. I don't know what it said or anythan'... I just… I want him to rot in there. I don't think he deserves a moment of anybody else's time unless it's to put a bullet between his eyes"

Rick couldn't believe just how much he agreed with that statement. Though he knew that Michonne had only written that letter to reinforce that she wanted nothing to do with Mike and he'd never have access to their son, he still didn't want her communicating with him at all. It was a risky decision, but Rick chose to simply nod his head as he lowered his gaze, instead of encouraging him to send Mike the letter, "Yeah."

"Well I'll leave you to get going", Shane blew out a breath as he looked at him, "Hope everythan' goes the way you want. I mean it."

"Yeah, uh, thanks for helping out. I appreciate it.", Rick offered sincerely, "And the same to you."

Shane held out his hand in front of him and Rick shook it with ease. He couldn't hold any more anger to his old best friend because he felt it was pointless. Shane had lost a lot, too. He was probably still trying to get himself out of the storm, and unlike Rick, he was choosing to stay in the town surrounded by people who would forever judge him for his actions. Just as the Chief had said to Rick; he didn't envy Shane.

"Are we going now?", Carl asked happily as his father carried him out the home, "Goodbye, old house!"

Rick sniggered at him as he closed the front door behind them, "Yeah, goodbye old house"

"We're gonna' miss you!"

"...We will miss it, won't we?", Rick locked the door and took his time walking over to the mailbox, "But don't worry, we'll always remember it"

"Are you sad?", Carl appeared perplexed as he looked at the side of his father's face.

"No…", Rick shook his head as he locked eyes with him, "Well, I'll miss it, but I'm not really sad… I mean, maybe I am?... But I'm ready to go. What about you? Are you sad?"

Carl shrugged, "I don't know… A little"

"That's alright. You're allowed to be sad, son. Even if it's just a little bit", Rick looked up towards the house with a huff as his eyes skimmed over the off-white wood panels and slightly distressed window panes when he caught sight of something that he immediately knew that he was imagining, but it didn't stop him from gawking at the bedroom window. It was as if Lori was really stood there peering down at them. He held Carl a little tighter as he started for the truck, "Alright let's go, son."

He focused on all the good things that he had to look forward to on the drive back to Atlanta. He would be apart of a new department, Carl would be starting at a new school and he'd have the pleasure of returning home to Michonne and Andre every day. He repeated those three reasons in his head when he wasn't speaking with his son during the journey and it seemed to help dissolve the negative feelings that had crept up to him before. He tried to think rationally and decided that the only reason that he thought he had seen her was that they were leaving. He was leaving her behind.

"Where are you gonna' sleep?", Carl probed curiously, as if it had just dawned on him that his father had no furniture.

Rick began to smile, "In your bed, with you"

"You can't fit, _silly_ ", Carl giggled, "You're too big"

"We can make it work. We'll sleep from head to toe, so you get daddy's feet on your pillow"

"No!", Carl protested with an amused laugh, "Not you're smelly feet!"

"Yes, my smelly feet", Rick's smile widened when he caught sight of their new residence as his truck cruised along the curb, "Look, we're here"

Carl pushed his head forward to look out of the passenger window, "Where is everybody?"

"Hopefully they're inside. Let's go see", He pulled into the driveway and hopped out, then made his way to Carl to release him from his seat. His son bolted towards the front door with no hesitation, leading Rick to burst into a jog, "Alright alright, hold on a second"

Carl used the handle to let them in, and gasped when he caught sight of the living area, "Look, dad, there's chairs now"

Carl was correct. There were big, dark leather couches surrounding a white coffee table. Rick continued to look around and saw there were even curtains hung up, and a breakfast table by the kitchen area, "Looks like Michonne's been busy"

"I'm gonna' go see my room", Carl declared hurriedly as he shot off down the hall. Rick began to follow behind him for the second time, and he had assumed that Michonne wasn't home since it was so quiet, but he was soon proved to be wrong as a hand stretched out and caught Carl by his waist as he passed one the doors. Rick had never heard his son gasp so loud, but then he burst into a fit of giggles, "You scared me!"

"I know", She grinned as she scooped him up into her arms and began lathering him in kissed, "I missed you so much"

"Stop!", Carl tried to recoil away from her but he failed miserably as he was laughing too much.

Rick's heart sighed as leaned against the doorframe and watched the two of them reunite, "I didn't think you were home. Where's Andre?"

"He's right there", She tipped her head toward the bedroom she was in, and Rick stepped forward to see what she was talking about. Andre was propped up on a green beanbag in the center of the room, sucking away on his pacifier as he gazed around absentmindedly. Much like Carl, he had furniture too. Michonne stood beside Rick as she put Carl back on the ground, "I just changed him. We were chilling out in here for a while"

He peered down at her as his arm snaked around her shoulders, "You've been alright?"

"I wanted to ask you the same thing?", She asked back. Her lovely brown eyes very rarely radiated complete warmth and she often had an air of melancholy surrounding her but on this occasion, she looked relaxed and comfortable, and it made Rick feel at ease. Nothing else mattered anymore; he was home. She kept on at him, "How did everything go?"

"Fine. Well…", He realized that would be a lie, "It went how you'd expect but it's done"

Her eyes rolled all around his face, "Yeah"

He pulled her closer to him and kissed her temple tenderly, "But what about you?"

"We've been good. Almost great. I got the couches from a store in the city- They were having a closing sale", She beamed, "And the table set"

Rick felt so delighted to see her so pleased. He couldn't recall if he'd ever seen her in such a way, "Yeah? That is great then"

"Why does he keep trying to eat my finger?", Carl's distressed voice came from within the room, and both adults saw that Andre squirmed on the bean bag as he tried to grab Carl's hand.

"Oh, I think his teeth are coming in because he keeps trying to eat everything", Michonne warned, "Just put the Pacifier back in his mouth and maybe we should never take it out"

"Oh he's not that bad", Rick slowly released her as he chortled his way towards the infant. He waited until Carl had popped the pacifier back in his mouth before lifting Andre off the bean bag by his tiny torso, "Let me see how much you've grown"

"It's been three days", Michonne reminded sardonically as she caught Carl in a hug before he could run by her, "The only thing that's grown is his appetite"

Rick held the infant against his chest and rubbed his back tenderly, "I don't wanna' leave you guys again. Even if it's just for a day… That's still too long. "

Michonne eyed him as she combed her fingers through Carl's dark locks, "I want that, too"

He pecked Andre on his head before mouthing to Michonne, " _I love you_."

She gave him the sweetest, most beautiful smile as she mouthed back, " _I love you, too_ "

"Come see my room!", Carl grabbed Michonne by the hand and tugged her out the room, leaving Rick to embrace the baby boy in peace. He moved toward the window and peered through the glass at the backyard, hoping Andre could see what he saw.

"You see that buddy?", He whispered to him gently, "This is all ours."

 **Epilogue:**

Michonne couldn't remember the last time she cried as much as she did right then. It must have been years. Possibly when her dearest friend died over a decade ago. She hadn't had a reason to cry like that since. Her boys were healthy. So was Rick. They had a lovely home, and she enjoyed her job immensely, so much so that she'd often stay up later than everybody else working into the night. Her life was everything that she never thought she'd have. Something she didn't think she'd ever deserve. She thought that she'd always be on the road, moving from place to place, searching for something and tied to nothing, but that was so far from the kind of life she lived that no one would believe that was once the case.

She was a working mother and girlfriend. Her day consisted of waking up at six o'clock and preparing breakfast and lunch for the males in her life, then getting herself ready to go into the city. She always made sure that both of her sons made it to the school bus in time. She always made sure that Rick left on time. She was organized and always stuck to the routine because she had to. It was what her family needed to thrive. She knew what it meant to grow up in a family with no sense of stability so it was crucial that her boys did, and it paid off. They both did well in school, they both thrived in their chosen sport, and they both thrived in their social circles. Up until recently, she had no reason to suspect that there was a problem with her family, but she learned that she couldn't be any more incorrect.

There were problems. _Big_ problems. The kind of thing that required more care and attention than just a pat on the back and simple reassuring, but the care and attention she tried to offer wasn't enough and It was why she hid in the bathroom to cry at night. The pain that she felt was slowly wearing her down. She was losing the battle.

She wiped her tears away with the back of her blouse as she stood up from the tiled floor. Her skirt had risen up to her thighs so she tugged it back down. She had to make herself look presentable, even if everyone in her home knew what she was doing when she disappeared to the end of the hall. She washed her face and cleaned away any makeup that remained, then straightened up to face herself in the mirror. Her eyes were still puffy but that was the least of her worries. She pushed her dreads back, away from her face. There was no point in hiding behind them.

After summoning the strength to leave the dark room, she heard it. _Them_. Rick's voice carried such bass that it made her core tremble, but Carl's was equally intimidating. It was like listening to two lions roaring on the other side of a door. She clung to the edge of the sink as she tried to summon that strength again but it wasn't as easy when she heard them yelling at each other. If indeed she stepped outside that door then she needed to be ready to accept the blows coming her way. That was the hardest part because she simply couldn't. His words ripped her to shreds. He spoke with such venom that it made her want to jump in her car and never look back. She couldn't bear to be the reason for his pain any longer.

Then there was silence. She lifted her head and peered at the door as she listened closely. She could figure out what was happening in her home by judging the length of the silence, so she didn't move and barely breathed. Moments passed and she was beginning to think they had finally stopped, but then she heard the glass smash.

 **END**

 **A/N:** I AM SO **SORRY** FOR THE WAIT. So, some of you may know that I really struggled with this ending, mostly because I knew that I wanted to finish this story on a high note and I also wanted to answer some questions whilst also leaving a little bit of mystery in the air (if that makes sense?) just so that I didn't lose the tone that I had set with the first part of Wildflowers, but I hope that you guys picked up on several clues in this last chapter about what I have in store for them in the future, but until then thank you so much for sticking it out with me and thank you for all of the reviews! Love you angels!

-Bae


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